To be Loved and Loved in Return
by Satan-wears-prada
Summary: Pete finds out that he has a daughter, but not only does he have a daughter, but she hasn't been living the life he would have liked. He and Addison work together to give his daughter what she needs.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, so this story is a little different to normal. I admitt, it's not a very likely scenario, but it is possible. Anything is possible in our imagination! You've just got to open your mind. Anyway. This chapter isn't that interesting, it's just the start. The fun starts in the next chapter, I promise. We also have no experience of how this would happen, so this is probably unrealistic of how she ends up with Pete and Addison, but doing it all correctly and making them go through the procedures would have just taken the fun out of it! We do apologise that that side of this story is unrealistic. Social services are oly involved for about three chapters anyway. Enough of me, now for you to read! As always, reviews are veyer much appreciated :)

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><p>Pete stood up from the couch and made his way to the front door as the sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house. He pulled the door open to reveal a woman in a suit stood on his doorstep.<p>

"Hi." He looked down at her with a slightly confused look on his face. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Susan Whitefield. I'm a social worker. Are you Mr. Wilder?" She pushed her glasses up her nose and straightened up.

"Yeah." Pete nodded. "I am."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, of course." He opened the door wider so she could step into the house.

They made their way into the living room and sat down. "Do you remember a Miss Anna Wester?" Susan asked once they were seated.

Pete knitted his eyebrow in confusion and nodded. "I, yeah, I do."

"Good." The social worker nodded. "Were you aware she had a daughter?"

"No." He shook his head. "I haven't seen or heard from her in over ten years."

"Miss. Wester died the other night in a car accident. Her parents are too old to look after her ten year old daughter." Susan Whitefield looked at Pete.

"She's dead?" His face fell. "I'm really sorry to hear that but why are you telling me this?"

"You are listed as her daughter's father. It's stated that you are to have custody of Abigail now that Miss. Wester has passed away."

"I...I'm what?" Pete looked at her shocked. "I'm listed as her father?"

"Your name is on her birth certificate as her father and Miss. Wester has stated that you are to have custody only if her parents are incapable of looking after her daughter, which they are."

"If my name is on her birth certificate then why has no one ever told me about her?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wilder, that's not something I'm able to answer. I'm only here to deal with who will take care of Abigail." Susan pushed her glasses up her nose again as she looked at him. "Are you willing to take custody?"

"I've never even met her." Pete looked back at the social worker.

"Then Abigail will be put into the care of foster parents." Susan nodded.

"What? No." Pete quickly shook his head at her.

"I understand this must be difficult, Mr. Wilder, but we need an answer soon so if we need to find her a foster family, we find one quickly."

"No, I...I'll do it." He looked at the woman. "I'll take custody."

"Good." She smiled. "It's nice when children stay in the family. It's better for them. I just need you to sign a few forms." She opened her briefcase and got out forms for him to sign. Pete signed everywhere she needed him to before he handed the forms back to her.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning and I'll bring Abigail with me."

Pete looked at her and nodded slightly. "Okay."

"You will need to have meetings with her grandparents to get to know the routine that she was in and find out if they have any wishes for her."

"Okay." He nodded again. "I'll do that."

"That's great." Susan smiled as she gathered the forms back up and placed them in her briefcase. Pete nodded and watched her before they both got up from the couch. "I shall see you tomorrow morning, Mr. Wilder." Susan held her hand out to shake Pete's.

"Yeah." He nodded once more and gave a polite smile as he shook her hand. She left the house and left Pete alone with his thoughts of his daughter he never knew he had.

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><p>When Pete heard a key turn in the lock a few hours later he had just finished setting up the table for dinner.<p>

"I'm home," Addison called as she walked into the hallway. She slid her shoes off her aching feet and placed her bag down on the side before she padded into the kitchen. "Hey." She smiled softly.

"Hey." He looked at her as he took the noodles from the stove.

"I've missed you today." She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and kissed his shoulder.

"I've missed you too." Pete gave a small smile and placed his hand on her arm.

"Hmm, dinner smells lovely." She smiled and peered over his shoulder.

"Doesn't it always?" He finished the sauce before he took it off the stove as well and turned it off.

"Of course. Had a good day?" she asked as she pulled away and got herself a glass of water.

"It was alright." Pete carried the food to the table. "Did you?"

"Busy. I had to perform an emergency c-section. Both mother and baby are fine, though." She smiled softly as they both sat down at the table.

"That's great."

"So glad it's the weekend and we can just sleep." Addison twirled some noodles around her fork before she took a bite.

Pete gave a small sigh as he glanced down at his food. "Actually, there's something we need to talk about."

"What's wrong?" She frowned as she caught sight of his face.

"A social worker was here this afternoon." Pete looked at her.

"A social worker?" Her frown deepened. "Why was a social worker here?"

Pete took a deep breath before he continued. "Do you remember Anna? I'm sure I've mentioned her before. We used to go out years ago."

"Possibly. I'm not sure. What has she got to do with a social worker, though?" Addison put her fork down and looked at her fiancée.

"She died in a car crash a couple of days ago." Pete looked back at her. "And she had a daughter. She's ten and she's mine and Anna listed me as the person to get custody when she dies."

"Wh-what?" Addison looked at him in shock.

"I know." He looked at her. "I know it's a lot, and believe me I feel the same way."

"You…you have a daughter?" Addison leaned back and ran a hand through her hair. "Oh my god," she whispered.

"I had no idea."

"But…but we were supposed to have a family."

"We can still have a family."

"You have a daughter," Addison spoke quietly and looked at him.

"I know." Pete looked back at her and gave a small sigh.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"I can't let them give her to some foster family."

"So, you're going to have custody?" Addison nodded slowly.

"Yeah." Pete nodded as well.

"She'll live here with us then."

"They'll bring her here tomorrow."

"Okay." Addison nodded and took a deep breath. "How old is she?"

"She's ten."

"What's her name?"

"Abigail."

"Okay." She nodded again.

"I'm sorry, Addi." Pete reached for her hand and covered it with his.

"It's not your fault," she spoke quietly and shook her head. "You didn't know. I know that if you had she would have been in our lives long ago. Maybe it would have been easier then."

"I know it's a lot to wrap your head around." He looked at her. "And I know it's scary. I'm scared too, but I need you, Addi."

"You said she's coming tomorrow morning?" Addison looked up at Pete.

"Yeah."

"We should get the guest room ready then. What would she like?"

"I don't know." He shook his head. "What do ten year old girls like?"

"I wasn't a normal ten year old girl. I have no idea what she'd want." Addison squeezed his hand.

Pete nodded and gave a small sigh. "I'll guess we'll just have to wait for her to get here then."

"Yeah." Addison nodded as well. "I'm not so hungry anymore."

"Okay."

"We'll be okay, won't we?" She looked at him with a scared look on her face.

"We will." Pete nodded.

"I love you, Pete."

"I love you too." Pete looked at her. "So, so much." Addison gave a smile and reached out for his other hand. "Thank you for doing this with me," he spoke quietly as they held hands.

"We're engaged. Of course I'm going to do this with you."

"I know, but not everyone would do that."

"I love you and I want to be with you. Instead of it being just us, there'll be three of us now. We just have to adapt."

Pete looked at her and a soft smile tugged on his lips. "I love you."

"And I love you, so much."

He leaned forward and kept hold of her hands as he placed a tender kiss on her lips. Addison closed her eyes and softly kissed him back. "You're so amazing," he whispered, quietly.

"I'm not." She smiled softly.

"You really are." Pete nodded.

"No." Addison shook her head.

"Yes and now shush." He kissed her again. She laughed softly and kissed him back. Pete smiled against her lips and gave her hands a soft squeeze. She slowly pulled back and rested her forehead against his.

"We can do this together."

"So long as we're together we can do anything," she whispered.

"We can," he agreed and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Addison smiled and looked into Pete's eyes as they pulled back. "Let's clean this away and then take a bath together."

"I like that idea."

Pete smiled softly and kissed her one more time before they got up and began to clean the kitchen together.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed :) I hope you are all enjoying it and that how we explore this situation makes you all happy. The next update should be up next Sunday. My aim is to update every Sunday but I may need to be reminded every now and then! We hope you enjoy!

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><p>The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house again the next morning and Pete and Addison turned to look at each other as the sound reached their ears. Pete took a deep breath and took hold of Addison's hand who nodded and followed him to the hallway where he opened the front door.<p>

"Mr. Wilder." The same social worker from the day before smiled at him. A young girl stood behind the social worker and glanced up at Pete from under her long fringe. Addison and Pete both looked at the girl and if they'd had any doubt that she was his, it was gone the moment they looked into her eyes.

"May we come in?" Susan Whitefield asked the couple.

"Of course." They stepped aside and opened the door wider. The four of them made their way into the living room and sat down. Abigail sat on the couch next to the social worker and watched Addison and Pete in silence.

"We haven't met yet. I'm Susan Whitefield." She held her hand to Addison.

"Addison Montgomery. I'm Pete's fiancée." The two women shook hands before they settled themselves back.

"You must be Abigail." Pete gave his daughter a soft smile. Abigail looked down at her small, pale hands and didn't say anything.

"There are a few more forms for you to sign now that she's here." Susan Whitefield put them down on the table in front of Pete. "Then I'm just going to have to take a quick at your house and Abigail's room and my work is done here." She clasped her hands together and smiled happily at the couple. She always liked to keep a child with their blood family whenever necessary, obviously so long as the child was safe.

"I can show you upstairs," Addison offered and slowly stood up from the couch.

"Sure, that would be great." Susan nodded and got up. Addison gave a smile and led the social worker up the stairs and to the room that would become Abigail's while Pete and Abigail stayed in the living room in the so he could sign all the forms.

"This will be Abigail's room." Addison pushed open a door and let Susan walk inside. "Obviously she can decorate it however she likes and change things around. We didn't know what she likes so we weren't sure what to do." The redhead wrung her hands together, nervously. The whole situation made her nervous if she was honest.

"It would be good for her to decide for herself." The social worker nodded as she looked around to make sure everything would be fine for the young girl. "It'll make her feel more at home." Addison nodded as well and watched as Mrs. Whitefield gave an approving nod.

"Where else would you like to look?" Addison asked and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"The house definitely seems appropriate. I'm just going to take a quick look into the bathroom and then we're done here." She gave Addison a smile.

"We have two bathrooms. There's an en suit to our bedroom and then the main one," Addison explained. "Did you want to see both?"

"The main one will do."

Addison nodded and walked down the hallway where she pushed open a door to reveal the main bathroom.

Susan Whitefield took a quick peek before she nodded. "It's fine, as expected. Thank you for taking the time to show me around." Addison nodded again before they made their way back to the living room. Pete was just about to sign the last form in the pile of papers before he put the pen down and looked up at them.

"Everything is perfect." Susan smiled as they sat down again.

"Good." Pete nodded. "That's good."

"I will come round again tomorrow to make sure that Abigail has settled in and then it'll be a few more days before I'm back again." Susan smiled at Pete and began to gather the papers up.

Pete nodded again and glanced at the girl. "Didn't she bring any of her stuff with her?"

"There are a couple of bags in the car. There was nothing else she wanted to bring." Susan gave a sad look to Abigail. She hated situations where the child was left without their parents.

"Okay, I can get them for her."

"Great. Well, if you're happy, I'm happy to leave the three of you alone to get settled in." Susan smiled and stood up from the chair. She could tell that Abigail would be well looked after.

Pete nodded and gave her a smile before he got up to lead her out and to get Abigail's stuff. Addison turned to look at the girl and gave a soft, comforting smile. Abigail glanced at her but instantly dropped her head again and looked at her lap.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Addison asked. The ten-year-old shook her head in response. "Do you want to see your room?" Addison tried but Abigail shrugged and didn't look up at her.

"You can decorate it however you like," Addison tried again but once again the girl looked down into her lap and played with her fingers, nervously. "You don't have to decide now how you want it, but it's your room." Addison watched Abigail. Abigail glanced up at her and looked into her eyes before she looked away again. "There's a beach right outside if you wanted to take a walk," Addison suggested, softly. Abigail just shrugged again before the sound of the door slamming closed echoed through the house and made her jump.

"It's only Pete, I mean your dad, coming back in," Addison reassured Abigail. She wanted to reach out and hold the girl close but she didn't want to push her luck. Abigail looked up at Addison before she turned her head and watched Pete walk into the living room, one of her bags in each hand. "Why don't you show Abigail her room and help her unpack?" Addison suggested to Pete. Father and daughter needed to bond.

"Sure." Pete nodded and looked at the girl. "Do you want to go upstairs and see your room?" Abigail shrugged and glanced up at Pete. "Come on then." He smiled softly. "You'll like it." The ten year old glanced at Addison before she stood up and followed Pete. They made their way up the stairs and to the former guest room, where he pushed open the door. She stepped inside and looked around the room that was larger than her old one. "It looks a little boring now but we can redo it all." Pete watched her. "We'll buy you new furniture you like and we can paint the walls and decorate it however you like." Abigail walked over to the window and looked out at her view of the beach. To her it was magical.

"Do you like the beach?" He smiled softly.

"I've never been," she whispered, quietly.

"Really?" Pete looked at her surprised. "We can go later if you'd like, it's really nice." She leaned closer to her window so she could get a wider view of the beach. "When it's a little warmer we can take you swimming in the ocean." Abigail turned her head to look at him and lowered herself back down onto her heels. Pete gave her a soft smile and motioned to her bags he had placed on the bed. "Shall we unpack your things?" She wandered over to the bed and opened one of her bags. Pete looked at her and watched as she took some clothes out. Abigail pulled out a photo frame and glanced at Pete as she put it face down on the bed.

"What's that?" he asked, softly. The ten year old shrugged and pulled out some more clothes. She turned to look where she could put her clothes and saw the big closet. Her eyes widened at the sight. "You can put them all in there." He walked over and opened it. Abigail glanced from the closet to her tiny amount of clothes and knew they would only cover a quarter of the closet. "We'll take you shopping." Pete gave her a soft smile. "Addison is really good with shopping." The girl glanced down and toyed with the strap of her bag. "Do you like shopping?" He watched her. She shrugged and continued to look down. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. Your clothes are fine for now." Abigail began to gather her clothes up and put them all in the closet.

"Did you bring any toys or stuff like that?" Pete looked at her bags. She shook her head and glanced up at him. "Oh." He looked back at her and nodded slightly. "Okay. We'll get you some things then if you want."

"Hey." Addison pushed open the bedroom door and walked in. "You unpacked?"

"Yeah." Pete gave her a smile.

"Good." She smiled as well and glanced at the nearly empty closet. "Oh."

"Yeah, we're going to do some shopping." He nodded. Addison nodded as well and walked closer to the closet. Her face dropped as she saw that most of the clothes were either ripped, stained or too small. Pete saw the look on Addison's face and cleared his throat. "Why don't we go downstairs and see what we have for lunch?"

"Yeah, lunch sounds good." Addison nodded and turned away from the closet.

"Are you hungry Abigail?" Pete looked at her. Abigail once again shrugged and looked down. "We can also go out for lunch. You can have whatever you like, it's your choice."

"Why don't we go out and then do some shopping? We can get you some new clothes and some things for your room? What do you think?" Addison looked at the ten year old who shrugged again and glanced up at Pete. "Let's do that and get some fresh air." Addison looked at Pete as well.

"Sounds good," he agreed.

"I'll just go grab my bag." Addison turned and left the bedroom.

"Come on." Pete smiled softly at his daughter. "It'll be fun." Abigail gave him an unsure look but followed him anyway.

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><p>Two hours later, after the three of them had lunch at McDonald's they made their way through the mall together to get Abigail some new things.<p>

"Do you see anything you like?" Addison asked as they made their way into a shop. Abigailt glanced around her unsure and gave a small shrug. "Would you like a haircut as well?" Addison reached out and gently brushed some hair from the girl's face. Abigail froze as she felt Addison's hand on her face and stared at her in shock. "You've got such a beautiful face and it's hiding behind your hair."

"B-beautiful?" The girl looked at her.

"Yes." Addison smiled softly. "You've got a lot of your dad's looks in you. You'll be a heartbreaker one day." Abigail looked at her before she turned away and glanced down. "We can take you to get a haircut today if you like," Addison suggested. The girl shrugged and kept her head down as she continued to walk and look at clothes. Addison watched Abigail before she turned her head and looked at Pete. He took a deep breath as he looked back at her before he took hold of her hand and they walked after Abigail.

"Do you like dresses?" Addison asked the ten year old. "Or skirts?"

Abigail glanced up at her before she looked back at the clothes. "I don't know," she whispered, quietly.

"Any clothes you like, you can have. I just thought you might like to have some skirts and dresses to keep you cool in summer."

Abigail let her hand carefully trail over the flowery dress in front of her and she shrugged again. "I've never worn a dress before," she said barely audible.

"You haven't?" Addison turned her head and looked at the young girl. "Have you not wanted to?"

"No one ever got me a dress," she murmured quietly and didn't look at them.

"Would you like one?" Addison asked. Abigail shrugged and let go of the dress she was looking at. "Why don't you try it on?" Addison suggested.

"Okay." She nodded slightly.

"Why don't you try a few other things on as well?"

"Other things?" Abigail glanced at them.

"Tops, jeans, skirts." Addison shrugged. "Anything you want."

Abigail looked at them before she slowly nodded. "Okay." Addison smiled softly and helped Abigail choose some clothes.

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><p>Abigail climbed into her bed that night and looked around her room. The sight was completely different to what she had been used to since she was born. The room was friendly and clean and her closet was full of new clothes they had bought that day. She had a light that worked and curtains to block out the dark that scared her. She cuddled down into the covers and breathed in their fresh scent. The bed was soft and comfortable and she almost felt like she was sleeping on a cloud.<p>

The door began to open and Pete and Addison walked in to check that Abigail was okay. Pete smiled softly down at her as they walked closer to her bed. Abigail looked up at him and pulled the covers up further over her face.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked as they looked down at her. "Do you need anything?" She shook her head slightly and watched them. "Okay." Pete nodded before he gave a soft smile. "Did you have a good day?" Abigail gave a shrug and glanced at Addison before back at Pete. "We've got something for you before you go to sleep." He placed a hand on Addison's back.

"We thought you might like him to sleep with." Addison stepped closer to the bed and held out a brown teddy bear. Abigail pulled the covers down her face slightly and looked at the teddy. "We thought you might get a bit lonely on your first night."

Abigail looked at them before she slowly reached out a hand. Addison and Pete's smiles widened as the ten year old took hold of the teddy and hugged him close. It may not have been much but to them it signalled a big step.

"If you need anything at all we're right over there in the room across from you, okay?" Pete looked down at his daughter. Abigail gave a small nod and looked at him. Pete smiled softly before he carefully leaned down and placed a kiss on Abigail's forehead. "Sleep well."

"Sweet dreams." Addison smiled as well but didn't push her luck by kissing the girl's forehead. They smiled softly at the girl before they turned and walked back out the door.

They made their way to their own bedroom and climbed into bed. Pete ran a hand over his face tiredly before he turned onto his side to look at his fiancée. Addison lay on her side as well and looked back at him.

"We've got a long way to go, haven't we?" he spoke quietly and took hold of her hand.

"A very long way," she whispered. "You should take a few weeks off to be home with her."

"Yeah." Pete nodded.

"It'll give you time to get to know each other."

"You two should get to know each other as well, though."

"It's not as important as you two, though." Addison looked at him and curled into a ball, slightly.

"We're her family now. _You_ and _I_ both."

Addison nodded and watched him for a few seconds. "She doesn't like me," she whispered. "She won't look at me."

"She won't look properly at either of us."

"She has more communication with you," Addison didn't want to sound like a bitch, but she couldn't help it.

"It's only been a day." Pete looked at her. "We need to give her time." Addison nodded and snuggled up to Pete who wrapped his arms around her tightly and placed a kiss on her head. "We can't give up on her. She's been through so much."

"We won't give up," Addison whispered.

"Promise?"

"I promise." She nodded.

"I love you." He placed another kiss on her hair and breathed in her scent.

"And I love you." Addison closed her eyes and snuggled close. Pete held her close to him as they tangled their legs together and he closed his eyes as well.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow, you really do like this story! :) Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It's nice to know that you're enjoying it.

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><p>Pete had just finished cooking breakfast the next morning when there was a loud knock on the front door. He made his way out of the kitchen and into the hallway to answer it to see the familiar face of the social worker.<p>

"Hello, Mr. Wilder." Susan Whitefield smiled and held her hand out.

"Mrs. Whitefield." He nodded and shook her hand before he opened the door wider to let her in.

"I'm not waking anyone, am I?" she asked as she made her way to the living room.

"No, Addison and Abigail are upstairs getting dressed." Pete gave a smile as he followed her.

"How was last night?" she asked as they sat down.

"It was alright." He nodded.

"That's good." She nodded and smiled, happily.

"She's really quite, almost scared."

"She's been quiet since I met her. The whole transition will have an effect on her." Susan gave Pete a sad look.

"Do you know anything about her life when Anna was still alive? Her home?"

"No." Susan shook her head. Pete just nodded and looked at the social worker. "Are you concerned about something?" She asked and looked at him.

"It's just the fact that she's barely brought anything with her and the few clothes she did bring were stained or ripped."

Susan frowned. She didn't know much about the life that Abigail had lived with her mother. "I wasn't aware of that. Her grandparents had all her things packed."

"I just wondered what happened to the rest of her stuff. Like toys and things like that." He shrugged.

"I can talk to her grandparents and see what other things she has." Susan nodded and made a mental note.

"No, we'll buy her new things." Pete shook his head.

"Okay." Susan nodded and wrote a few things down on her notepad.

Pete nodded and watched her. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I just want to have a chat with Abigail and then I'll be gone." She gave a quick smile.

"I'll go get her then. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No I'm fine." Susan shook her head.

"Okay." Pete nodded before he got up and made his way upstairs to get Abigail.

Susan smiled softly as the ten year old walked into the room five minutes later. "Hello, Abigail." The girl looked at her and sat down on the couch. "How are you feeling today?" Susan asked and kept the warm smile on her face.

Abigail shrugged and looked at her hands. "Okay."

"Do you like being here?" Susan titled her head to the side slightly and studied the girl. Abigail shrugged again and didn't make eye contact. "It's okay if you don't," the social worker assured the young girl. Abigail didn't say anything as she looked down and played with her fingers.

"Is there somewhere else you'd rather be?" Susan asked, softly.

"I don't know," she spoke quietly.

"We want what is best for you and what will make you happy. Are you happy to stay here with your dad?" Susan studied the girl carefully. Abigail just shrugged and shifted on the couch uncomfortably. "Would you rather go and live with someone else?"

"No," she whispered and stared down at her lap.

"So, you want to stay here?" Susan smiled softly. Abigail gave a small nod. "That's brilliant." Susan once again wrote something on her pad. Abigail glanced up at the woman before her eyes wandered around the room and to the stairs. "Is something wrong?" Susan turned to see where the girl was looking. Abigail looked back at her and shook her head. "Are you sure? You can talk to me."

"Where are they?" she asked, quietly.

"Upstairs." Susan studied Abigail's body language. "Is there something the matter?" She could sense that there was something troubling Abigail.

"Do I have to go back with you now?"

"You don't have to come back with me if you want to stay here." Susan shook her head. Abigail just nodded and looked back down at her lap. "Did you want to?"

"No."

"Okay." Susan smiled softly. "Do you like your dad?" The ten-year-old shrugged again. "I understand this is hard, Abigail, but I need to know if you're happy or not to carry on living here." Abigail glanced up and looked at the social worker. "I need you to tell me what you want." Susan shifted closer on her seat.

"I did."

"I know you want to stay here." She nodded. "But I also need to know how you're feeling about the situation so I can make sure that everything is done to benefit you." Abigail looked at her, not knowing what do say. "You promise me you'll tell me next time I'm here how you feel about everything?" The girl nodded and looked back down. "Good." Susan smiled softly and sat back as Pete and Addison walked down the stairs.

"Everything alright?" Pete asked as they walked into the living room.

"Everything is fine." Susan nodded. Pete nodded as well and looked at Abigail. "Are the two of you happy with everything?" She looked up at the young couple.

"We are."

"Good." Susan smiled and stood up. "Unless there is anything you want to talk about, then I have nothing more here to do."

"I don't think there is." Pete shook his head.

"Then I will be back in four days time. It gives the three of you time to adjust a bit better."

Pete and Addison shook hands with the social worker before Pete led her to the door and let her out. Addison turned her head and watched Abigail for a few seconds. The girl was still sat on the couch with her head down, her gaze on her lap. Addison made her way over to the couch and sat down next to Abigail. Abigail glanced up at her and shifted slightly.

"Are you okay?" Addison asked, softly. She gave a small nod before she looked down again. "You can talk to me if there is something bothering you." Addison reached a hand out to gently touch Abigail's back. The girl tensed slightly and looked at her again with an unsure expression on her face. "Sorry." Addison pulled her hand back.

"It's okay," she whispered and looked down again.

"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Abigail nodded and didn't look up.

"Your hair looks nice now that you've had it cut," Addison tried. "We can see your face better." The girl nodded again and brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "You look so much like Pete," Addison whispered and looked at Abigail. She turned her head and looked up into her eyes. Addison's lips curved into a soft smile but Abigail hesitated before she turned away again. They both looked up as Pete walked back in again and looked at them.

"There's some breakfast in the kitchen if you want some," he informed them. Addison nodded and stood up from the couch before she walked into the kitchen. "Are you hungry, Abigail?" Pete looked at the girl. She looked up at him before she walked into the kitchen as well. Pete gave a small sigh and followed them.

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><p>That afternoon, Addison opened the front door to reveal an elderly couple stood there.<p>

"Hello." The woman looked her up and down. "Does a Pete Wilder live here?"

"Yes." Addison nodded. "Who's asking?"

"I'm Charlene Wester and this is my husband, Phil. We're Abigail's grandparents."

"Oh right." Addison nodded and opened the door wider. "Come in." The woman nodded and stepped into the hallway. "She's right through here." Addison led the couple into the living room where Abigail was sat with Pete.

"Abigail." Mrs. Wester looked at her granddaughter. Abigail looked up at her grandmother and gave a small smile. "You must be Pete Wilder." Mr. Wester looked down at him.

"Abigail's grandparents," Addison mouthed to him.

Pete looked at her before back at them and he got up to shake their hands. "I am."

"You have custody of our granddaughter."

"Yes I do."

"We're not happy with this situation," Charlene informed him. "You are the last person who our daughter should have given custody of Abigail to."

"Excuse me?" Pete looked at them. "I'm her father."

"You really think after what you did to Anna you deserve to be a father?" Charlene raised an eyebrow. "You are clearly stupider than we thought."

"What _I_ did to Anna? She's the one who kept my daughter from me for ten years." Pete had started to become angry.

"She had a good reason to." Charlene turned her attention to her granddaughter. "Abigail, come here, let me look at you." The ten-year-old hesitated before she slowly got up from the couch. Charlene took hold of Abigail and titled her head from side to side. "What has happened to your hair? It's a mess, girl." Disgust was evident in the older woman's voice.

"It's not," Abigail spoke quietly.

"What is this?" Charlene fingered Abigail's side fringe. "And why is it all different lengths? Did you cut your own hair?" She shook her head. It was clear Abigail should not be with them.

"I like it." Abigail took a step away from her grandmother.

"We paid a professional to cut it." Addison looked at Charlene. She had started to get a picture of the kind of life the girl had led and she didn't like it one bit.

"A professional?" Charlene scoffed. "Have you even looked at her? It looks horrible."

"It's style," Addison corrected. "It's what Abigail chose. It's her hair, not yours or mine."

"What clothes is she even wearing?" Charlene turned back to look at Abigail. "What is this, girl?"

"You don't seriously think we were going to let her wear her old clothes that were ripped, stained and too small?" Addison asked, annoyed. "We couldn't do that. We bought her new clothes that fit and aren't stained or ripped."

"If you think you can buy her love by getting her all those fancy things you're mistaken." Charlene looked at Addison.

"I don't think that and I'm not trying to buy her love. I'm buying her the things she needs," Addison informed the older woman because it was clear Charlene had no idea what Abigail needed.

"Who are you anyway? You have no right to our granddaughter, even less than _him_ ." She gave Pete a disgusted look.

"I'm Pete's fiancée and he has every right to his own daughter." Addison stood her ground. "Pete has _more_ right than _you_ do."

"If you're only here to criticize us and scare Abigail even more, you might as well go back home and leave us alone." Pete looked at the older couple.

"We are here to see our granddaughter and you can't stop us." Charlene looked at Pete again.

"Actually, I can." He looked back at her. "But if she wants to spend time with you I'm not going to stop her."

"Of course she wants to see her grandparents," Charlene scoffed.

"Then actually spend time with her instead of picking on her hair or clothes."

"The two of you are just trying to change her into your child when she's not." Addison crossed her arms across her chest.

"We're not trying to change her. We just want to be there for her."

"She chose to make those changes." Addison pointed out and looked at Charlene. "We didn't force her."

"Of course," she scoffed.

"Ask Abigail if you don't believe me."

"Are you happy here, Abigail?" Charlene looked at the ten-year-old. "If you're not all you have to do is tell Mrs. Whitefield and we can find another solution." The ten year old glanced down at her hands and didn't say anything. "You can tell me," she urged.

"If you care so much why haven't you got custody?" Addison asked and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We didn't have a choice."

"I highly doubt that." This time Addison scoffed.

"For some reason our daughter wanted him to get custody of her, instead of us."

"I guess she saw sense then," Addison quipped.

"Who do you think you are? I don't want you anywhere near my granddaughter."

"Fortunately, you don't get a say in that." Addison gave a smirk. "Pete does."

Charlene tensed and glared at her before she turned back to her granddaughter. "If you don't want to stay here, Abigail, we can leave." Abigail bent her head even more and tried not to cry.

"That's enough." Pete looked at Charlene. "Leave her alone."

"We are allowed to talk to our granddaughter." Charlene looked back at Pete.

"Not like this, you're upsetting her." He walked over to Abigail.

"I think it's best you leave." Addison gestured to the front door.

"Mrs. Whitefield is going to hear about this." Phil pointed a finger at them.

"It's fine. I expect her to. You know where the door is."

Charlene and Phil glared at them before they turned and stormed out. Addison firmly shut the front door behind them before she walked back into the living room.

Pete glanced at her before he looked down at Abigail and placed a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. Abigail flinched from his touch and refused to look at either of them. "I'm sorry." He dropped his hand slowly.

"I'll make some hot coco," Addison spoke softly and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about what happened." Pete looked down at his daughter. "I know you barely know us, but we're here for you, Abigail." The ten year old gave a sniff as a tear rolled down her cheek. "It's okay," he whispered softly and carefully reached out to wrap his arms around her. "Come here." She leaned into his side as she began to cry. Pete hugged her close to him and ran a hand through her hair gently. "Shh, I'm here."

"Why haven't you been here before?" she cried.

"I'm sorry," he spoke softly. "I really am. I wish I could have been there."

"Why weren't you?"

"Because I didn't know about you."

"But why?" Abigail sniffed and looked up at him.

"Your mum never told me about you." Pete looked down at her and brushed some hair from her face.

"Why not?" she whispered and sniffled.

"I don't know." He shook his head. "I really don't."

"It's not fair."

"I know it's not." Pete gave a small sigh and wiped away the tears from her cheek. Abigail looked down at her hands again as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm here for you now though." He wrapped his arms back around her.

"Forever?"

"Forever, I promise." Pete smiled softly and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Abigail leaned even closer to Pete's side and closed her eyes. Pete kept his arms around her as they sat in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm getting good with updating! :D So glad that you're all reading and enjoying! Thank you to everyone who reviews, it means a lot! Yes, Abigail hasn't had a good life but you'll have to keep reading for some details! It's going to be a long, hard journey for all of them, but they'll get through.

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><p>A couple of days later, Abigail made her way out of her room and noticed the door to Addison's and Pete's room was open. As she walked past it her eyes fell on Addison's closet and make-up table and she slowed down. She hadn't seen inside of their bedroom before. She hadn't dared go in with them constantly about. She didn't want the same to happen to her again.<p>

Abigail glanced around her and hesitated before she slowly took a step into the room. The room was big and smelled of something sweet. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the big, white bed and the pretty sheets. What really caught her eye was the dressing table with all the make-up and perfumes neatly sat on the top. She slowly walked closer and let her eyes wander over all the different things. Abigail turned her head and saw the tall necklace stand that was full of silver necklaces. Her eyes widened even more and she reached out to brush her fingers over them.

The sliver chains softly moved from her touch and caught the light. Abigail bit her lip in awe before she turned to all the different perfumes. Each one was labelled something different and had their own scent. Her eyes travelled over them and she wished at least one of them would be hers.

"Hey," Addison spoke softly as she walked in from the en suit. Abigail jumped at the sound of her voice and she turned around before she instinctively took a few steps back from her. "You can smell them if you like." Addison gestured to the perfumes. "I don't mind."

"I...I...I'm sorry," she spoke quickly and looked at her. "I...I didn't touch anything, I promise."

"Abigail, you don't have to be scared. You can touch it. I'm not going to get mad." Addison looked at the girl and her heart dropped. What had Anna done to Abigail?

"But I...I could break things."

"So could I."

Abigail looked down at her hands and nervously played with the hem of her shirt. "Sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry." Addison sat down on the stool in front of her dressing table and picked up a perfume before she held it out to Abigail.

Abigail glanced up at her and hesitated. "R-really?"

"Really." Addison smiled. The girl looked at the perfume before she slowly walked closer and reached for it. "You can look and touch anything you want here," Addison reassured the girl. "We're not going to get mad."

"But...what if I break things? You...you'll be mad then."

"No we won't." Addison shook her head. "Accidents happen. Even your dad and I break things at times by accident." Abigail looked at Addison before her eyes wandered down to the perfume. "Maybe one day we could have a girly day and we can do manicures, pedicures, put on a face mask, then do our make-up," Addison suggested. The ten-year-old just looked down at the perfume bottle in awe and gave a small nod. Addison gave a soft smile as she watched Abigail.

"It's pretty," she whispered, quietly.

"Spray some on you and smell it."

Abigail looked up at her. "Y-you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Addison smiled softly. The ten-year-old looked back down at the bottle, before she very carefully opened it to spray some. "Do you like it? I have some others that might be more you." Addison began to look through her perfumes." Abigail carefully closed it again before she watched Addison. "Try this one." Addison held out a pink bottle. She hesitated before she slowly reached for it. Addison's lips curved into a smile as Abigail sprayed the perfume.

"That's really good," she spoke quietly.

"Which do you like the best?" Addison asked with a smile on her lips. Abigail shrugged softly and looked up at Addison, unsure. "Or do you like them both the same?" The girl nodded before she glanced down. "Keep them both then." Addison nodded.

Abigail's head shot back and she looked at Addison. "K-keep them?"

"Yes." She nodded again. "If you want to, or you can choose another two."

"But...but they're yours."

"I'm giving them to you as a gift."

"Really?" she whispered.

"Really." Addison nodded. Abigail looked down at the bottles in her hands in disbelief before she glanced back up at Addison. "Do you want to smell my favourite perfume?" Addison asked.

"Yeah." She nodded slightly.

"Here." Addison smiled as she picked up her perfume. Abigail looked at Addison before she carefully took hold of it. "Do you think if we spray it on you your dad will think you're me?"

The girl looked back up at her and gave a shy smile. "Maybe."

"Shall we try?" Addison grinned. Abigail bit her lip before she nodded slightly. Addison's grin grew even wider and sprayed Abigail with her perfume.

"Smells good," she spoke softly.

"Your dad bought me it when we got engaged. It's his favourite as well."

Abigail nodded and looked at Addison. Addison smiled softly and placed the bottle back down.

"Can I put it in my room?" Abigail asked quietly as she looked at the pink bottle from earlier.

"You can put _both_ the bottles I gave you in your room." Addison nodded.

Abigail looked at Addison and there was a happy sparkle in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, gratefully.

"No problem." Addison smiled. "Every girl should have at least one perfume." Abigail gave a smile and looked down at the bottles in her hand.

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><p>Abigail lay on her bed later that day and slowly turned the pink perfume bottle over in her hands. She watched the liquid float from side to side and a small smile played on her lips. She had never really been given anything before. The reaction she had gotten from Addison earlier was the last thing she had expected. She had expected her to yell and kick her out of the room. But instead she had given her two of her perfumes. Addison was completely different to Anna.<p>

Abigail watched the bottle in her hands in awe and didn't even hear the footsteps in hallway as someone walked towards her room.

"What are you doing?" He smiled softly as he looked at her.

"Nothing," Abigail spoke quietly and wrapped her hands around the bottle.

"Whose is that?"

"Mine," she whispered and looked down. Pete nodded and smiled softly as he sat down on the edge of her bed. Abigail glanced up at Pete as he sat down.

He leaned a little closer before he looked down at her. "You smell familiar." She didn't say anything and looked at him. "Are you wearing perfume?"

"Addison sprayed it on me," she spoke quietly.

"Did she?" Pete smiled softly. "It smells really good."

"She said you bought her it."

"It's my favourite on her."

Abigail nodded and looked down at her perfume in her hands.

"Did she give you that?"

The ten year old nodded and watched the liquid again.

"It's a pretty bottle."

"It smells pretty too."

Pete nodded and smiled softly as he watched her. "I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping sometime tomorrow."

"Shopping?" she whispered.

"I thought we could start decorating your room."

"Decorating it? Isn't this how it's going to be?" Abigail glanced around the room.

"Well, this is actually just the guest room. We should turn it into a proper room for you. We can paint the walls, get new curtains, a prettier closet."

"Oh." Abigail looked around her.

"Only if you want to, though." Pete watched her. "We can just go and have a look and see if we find anything you like."

"What will the room look like?" She turned her head and looked at him.

"Whatever you want it to look like." He shrugged. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Purple?" She shrugged.

"Purple is good." Pete smiled softly. "We could do the walls in a light shade of purple?"

"I don't know?" She shrugged again.

Pete nodded. "Well, if you want to we can just have a look."

"Are you not choosing what my room looks like?"

"No, it's your room. You can choose whatever you want."

"Really? I can choose everything?"

Pete smiled softly as he looked at her and nodded. "You can."

"Even what I wear everyday?"

"Of course, as long as it's reasonable."

"Okay." Abigail nodded and smiled slightly. She'd never really had the choice before.

Pete smiled softly. "So, shopping tomorrow, yeah?"

"Okay."

Pete nodded and got up from her bed. "We are going to watch a movie downstairs later if you want to come." Abigail nodded and watched Pete. He smiled softly and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "We'll wait for you then."

"What…what…" she trailed off.

"What, what?" Pete looked at her. Abigail glanced down and played with the perfume bottle. "You can tell me." Pete gave a smile.

"What do I have to...?" The ten year old closed her mouth again.

Pete looked at her and waited for her to continue. "You can ask me anything."

"What do I have to call you?" she whispered and looked up at him.

"It's your choice." He looked back at her. "I'm not going to force you to call me dad. If you'd rather just call me Pete, that's okay."

"I don't have to call you dad if I don't want to?"

"No." Pete shook his head slightly. Abigail nodded and looked up at him. Pete gave her a small smile. "I'll see you downstairs then." He turned and walked to the door.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here is the next update, as promised! Unless I'm feeling very generous, or bored, or am bombared with tons of reviews (hint, hint :P) then it was only be one update a week I'm afraid. The girly day and moments between all of them will come, don't panic :) There's a lot to explore! As always, reviews are much appreciated! Enjoy.

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><p>The next day, Pete and Abigail made their way down an aisle in a shop and looked at all the different colours of paint.<p>

"How about that one?" Pete pointed at a light shade of purple.

"I like that one." She pointed at the tub of paint next to the one Pete pointed at.

"It's a pretty colour." He nodded. "How about we take two though? We don't have to paint every wall the same."

"We don't?" Abigail turned and looked at Pete.

"We could do more colours if you want." Pete shrugged. "Or maybe patterns."

"Can I have a pattern?" Her eyes widened slightly at the thought. A patterned bedroom.

"Of course." He smiled softly.

"Can it be a black pattern?"

"Sounds good." Pete nodded. "So, this shade of purple and black pattern?" Abigail smiled and watched as Pete got two tins of paint. "What else should we look at?" He looked at her.

"Curtains?"

"Sure." Pete smiled and they walked to the end of the aisle before they started looking for the curtains.

"I like these," Abigail whispered as she ran her fingers over a set of purple curtains.

"You really do like purple." He smiled as he watched her. She shrugged and blushed slightly. Pete smiled at her. "Do you want them?"

"They're pretty," she whispered.

"They are." He nodded. "We'll get them for you." Abigail smiled softly as they continued to shop for things for her bedroom. Along with the paint and the curtains they also got her a new light for her nightstand, a few shelves, a purple bedside carpet and a few other things.

"Why didn't Addison come?" Abigail asked as they left the store.

"She had a few patients she had to see this afternoon," Pete explained. "But she'll help us with the decorating." The ten year old nodded as they walked along. "Did you want her to come?" Abigail shrugged and glanced around them. "Maybe the three of us can go down to the beach tomorrow," Pete suggested.

"To the beach?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Would you like to?"

"Okay." She shrugged.

"It'll be fun." Pete nudged her side softly.

"What would we do?" She looked up at him.

"We'll see what the weather is like." He shrugged softly. "Either take a walk and get some ice cream, or maybe it's warm enough to dip your feet into the ocean."

"I can't swim," Abigail admitted quietly and looked down.

"Oh." Pete frowned slightly as he looked at her. "That's no problem. We'll teach you."

"How?" she whispered.

"We'll go to the swimming pools and Addi and I will teach you. It's important that you know how to swim."

"No one ever taught me."

"We will." Pete gave her an encouraging smile

"Really?" she whispered.

"Of course." He nodded. "It'll be fun and we'll make sure that nothing happens to you."

"Okay." She gave a small smile. Pete smiled softly and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "Where are we going now?"

"I don't know, is there anything else you want to look for today?"

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Home then? Addison can help us with the rest we need for your new room."

Abigail nodded and followed him to the car. They both got in before Pete pulled out and drove them home.

* * *

><p>"Do you want me to make us sandwiches before we start?" Pete looked at Abigail. They had arrived home to an empty house. She looked back at him and shrugged. "Are you not hungry?"<p>

She shook her head and wandered into the living room. Pete gave a small sigh and walked into the kitchen. Abigail glanced up at the big photo of Addison and Pete that was on the wall. Addison was stood with her back to Pete and he had his arms wrapped around her and they were both smiling into the camera. They both looked so happy and in love in the photo. Abigail bit her lip slightly as she looked at them before she turned to look at the other photos. In every single photo they were happy and in love. They were already a family.

"Is everything okay?" Pete asked as he stood in the doorway with a sandwich in his hand. The ten year old jumped slightly and turned to face Pete. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She glanced down at her hands and toyed with her fingers. "Is something wrong?" He walked closer. She shook her head and glanced at him. "Okay." Pete nodded slightly.

"I'm going upstairs," she whispered and stood up. Pete just nodded again and watched her. The ten year old quickly left the room so Pete was alone. He gave a sigh before he sat down on the couch.

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><p>Pete smiled softly as he heard a key turn in the lock that night and he made his way into the hallway to greet his fiancée.<p>

"Hey." She smiled softly and tenderly kissed him.

"Hey," he whispered against her lips and cupped her face as he kissed her back.

"Hmm, have you missed me?" she murmured.

"Mhmm." Pete nodded slightly. "A lot."

"Aww, babe." Addison smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Pete smiled back and slid his hands down to her waist. "Didn't you miss me?"

"I've course I did," she whispered and kissed him again. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her back softly. "Have you had a good day?" she asked.

"We did." Pete nodded. "Did some shopping."

"We can start decorating then."

"Yeah." He smiled. "I hope you'll like the stuff we got."

"I'm sure I will."

Pete smiled softly and leaned down to place another kiss on her lips. Addison smiled and lovingly kissed him back. "I hope you're hungry," he whispered softly. "I made your favourite."

"I'm starving." She grinned.

"Good." Pete grinned as well before they walked into the kitchen together.

"Hmm, smells delicious."

"I'm glad." He smiled as he carried the food over to the table.

"I'm so glad I'm marrying such an amazing cook." She grinned and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I bet you are." Pete nodded. "You're always going to be fed."

"Where's Abigail?" she whispered.

"Upstairs in her room."

"I want some Pete loving right now."

"Hmm, do you?" He smirked down at her.

"I do." Addison turned him around and kissed him again. Pete smiled against her lips and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Hmm," she murmured and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I could use some Addi loving too," he mumbled as his mouth left hers and he began to kiss down her jaw to her neck.

"Hmm," She moaned and titled her head to the side. He let his lips trail over her skin until he found the spot he knew was driving her wild. "Pete," she groaned and dug her nails into his shoulders.

"Hmm?" Pete smirked and moved back up to return his lips to hers.

"That's teasing," she whispered.

"I like to tease."

"It's not fair, though." She pouted.

"We can not tease later." Pete smiled suggestively.

"It's too long to wait, though."

"Hmm, shall we not tease now then?"

"What about dinner and Abigail?"

"Dinner can wait and Abigail is upstairs."

"Then that sounds like a brilliant idea." Addison grinned. Pete smirked and pressed his lips back to hers. "Let's go upstairs then," she whispered. He nodded and took hold of her hand before he quickly lead her upstairs and into their bedroom where they made sweet love.

They came at the same time and cried the other's name before they collapsed in each other's arms. A soft smile was playing on Pete's lips as he looked up at the ceiling, his breathing quick.

"You're so amazing." Addison smiled happily and ran her finger softly over his cheek.

Pete grinned and turned his head to look at her. "So are you."

"I know." She grinned.

He smirked and leaned over to kiss her. "We're so doing this again tonight."

"I'm very glad." Addison softly kissed him again. Pete smiled and placed a hand on her cheek as he kissed her back lovingly. "We should get back to Abigail," she whispered.

"Hmm, yeah," he agreed and kissed her once more. "We should. She must be hungry."

Addison smiled and slid out of bed. She pulled a pair of sweatpants on and an old top of Pete's before she made her way to Abigail's room. The ten-year-old was led on the bed on her stomach reading a book and she glanced up when she heard the door open.

"Hey," Addison smiled softly. "Are you hungry? Dinner is ready."

Abigail gave a small nod and closed her book. "Okay," she spoke quietly.

"Come on then. Did you have a good day?" Addison asked as they made their way down the stairs. The girl shrugged slightly and followed her in silence. "Your dad said you got things for your bedroom."

"Yeah." She gave another small nod.

"We can start decorating the weekend then." Addison smiled softly.

"I could choose it all," Abigail spoke quietly and glanced up at her.

"Of course you could, it's your bedroom." Addison reached into a cupboard and pulled three glasses out. Abigail looked at her and nodded slightly before she sat down at the table. Addison got them all drinks as Pete walked into the kitchen and served their dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I am so sorry I didn't update on Sunday. It suddenly dawned on me while I was driving into college this morning. I did have to work Sunday, and Monday night straight from college. I've been busy basically. I _will_ update this Sunday, though. I will find some time. Reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!

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><p>The next day Abigail glanced out of the car window as Pete drove them to a sports centre for a day of bonding. He parked in front of the big building and they both got out of the car. The young girl took in all the scenery as they made their way inside the big building.<p>

"Do you like doing sports?" Pete looked down at the girl and gave a soft smile.

"I've never played," she replied, quietly.

"It'll be fun." He smiled and placed a hand on her back as they walked. Abigail stopped as they walked past a sports hall where a group of guys were playing football. Pete stopped as well and followed her gaze before he nodded. "They're pretty good."

"Doesn't it hurt?" she questioned and shifted onto her tiptoes to get a better look.

"Football?" He smiled softly as he looked down at her. "Well, it hurts if you fall. But it's fun."

"It doesn't look fun," she commented.

"Basketball will be fun." Pete placed a hand on her back as they continued to walk.

"I don't know how to play," Abigail spoke quietly and looked up at him.

"I know you don't, I'll teach you."

The ten year old nodded as they walked into a small sports hall with a basketball hoop. They put down their stuff at the side before Pete got a basketball. She watched as he began to dribble the ball towards her.

Pete smiled at her before he softly threw the ball. "Catch." Abigail ducked instantly and the ball flew past her. He chuckled softly as he watched her. "You don't have to be scared of the ball." She glanced at him before she stared down at her feet. "Hey, it's okay." Pete walked towards her. She instantly felt stupid and tried not to cry. "Hey..." he brushed some hair from her face, "it's alright. We've only just started."

"But I can't do it," she whispered.

"Why not?"

Abigail shrugged and glanced down again.

"We only just started, I'll teach you. Of course you can do it," he encouraged. She slowly lifted her head and looked at her father. "We'll practice a little more and you'll be fine." He gave her a smile.

"What if I can't do it?"

"But you _can_. I'm sure of it."

"What if I can't?"

"Then it doesn't matter."

"It doesn't?" She looked at him.

"Of course not." Pete looked back at her.

"But…mum said it did," she whispered.

Pete frowned slightly and looked down at her. "What did she say?"

"That I had to be good at everything and that because I'm not I'm a failure," she whispered.

Pete's heart dropped as he looked at his daughter and he cupped her face with one hand. "You're not a failure, Abi, do you hear me?"

"But I can't do anything," she protested. She was a failure and always would be.

"That's not true. You're an amazing girl, Abigail."

"No," she whispered. "I'm not."

"Yes you are." Pete looked into her eyes. "I know that you're smart and you're beautiful and _no one_ ever gets to tell you you're a failure, because you're _not_."

Abigail's eyes welled up with tears and she looked down.

"Come here." Pete wrapped is arms around her. She didn't move and just stared at the floor. "You're amazing, Abigail, and I'm so glad you're my daughter." She shook her head at his words as a tear escaped her eyes. "You are." Pete nodded and hugged her close. Abigail tried to fight the tears as she leaned into him as close as she could. "I love you, Abigail," Pete spoke softly and placed a kiss on the top of her head. She gave a small sniff as more tears rolled down her cheeks while Pete held her and softly rubbed her back as she cried.

After a while, they both slowly pulled back and looked at each other. "Are you okay?" He wiped some tears from her cheeks. Abigail shrugged slightly and looked down. "Do you want to do something else than basketball?"

"I want to play," she whispered.

"Okay." Pete smiled softly. "Let's play then." Abigail nodded and watched Pete. Pete smiled and went to get the ball before he dribbled it back to her once more. "Just try and catch." She gave a small nod and raised her hands. "Well done." Pete smiled as she carefully caught the ball. "Now dribble it back to me."

Abigail looked down at the ball and then back up to Pete. "I can't," she whispered.

"Yes you can." He nodded. "You can just throw it for now if you want to." She looked back down at the ball and threw it forward. "Good." Pete smiled and took a few steps towards the ball before he caught it.

"What do we do with that?" she asked and pointed at the net.

"We try and throw the ball in there. If you score it's two points for your team," he explained.

"It looks hard."

"It's not that easy because it's pretty high." Pete walked over to the net. "But I can show you."

"Okay." She nodded. Pete looked up at the net and held the ball with one hand before he pushed it up with the other and it fell right into the net. Abigail watched as the ball fell through the net and bounced on the ground.

"Want to try?" He looked at her. "I'll help you."

"It's too high."

"I'll pick you up."

Abigail instantly shook her head.

"Why not?" Pete smiled softly. "You can do it."

"I don't want you to pick me up."

"Oh." He nodded slightly. "Okay then." Abigail looked down and toyed with her fingers. "If you don't want to throw into the net I can teach you how to dribble," Pete suggested.

"Dribble?" She looked up at him.

Pete nodded and dribbled the ball. "Like this."

"It looks hard," she commented.

"It's not. Here, catch." He threw her the ball. Abigail caught the ball and looked from it to him. "That was good." Pete smiled and walked over to her. "Now we'll practice how to dribble." He positioned himself behind her and took hold of her hand before he began to dribble the ball with her. Her lips curved into a soft smile as they dribbled the ball. "You're doing great." He smiled.

"This is fun," she laughed, softly.

Pete's smile widened as he heard her laugh. "I told you."

"Why do you need to dribble a ball?" she asked.

"So you can move with it," he explained. "You're not allowed to hold it while running."

"Oh." Abigail nodded as she watched the ball bounce from her hand to the floor and back again.

"Want to try it on your own?"

She gave another nod and began to dribble the ball on her own. Pete stepped aside so he could watch her and he smiled softly. "Am I doing it right?" she asked.

"You are." He nodded. "You're doing great." Abigail smiled softly as she continued to dribble the ball. Pete smiled as well and just watched as his daughter played.

"Catch!" She took hold of the ball and threw it.

He quickly moved towards the ball and caught it, smiling as he did. "Wow." Abigail smiled and looked at him. "That was a really good throw."

"Really?"

"Really." Pete nodded and threw the ball back to her. Abigail watched the ball and tried to catch it. "Great!" He grinned as the ball landed in her arms.

"Is it hard to throw it into the net?" she asked.

"You can try. It just takes some practice."

"How?"

"Stand on that line." Pete pointed and walked over to her. "And then you hold the ball like this." He put her arms into the right position.

"And then what?" she asked.

"Now you throw it with your right hand."

"Like this?" Abigail pushed her right hand up so the ball flew up into the air.

"Like that." He nodded. "Just try to focus on the net."

"It won't reach the net."

"It will." Pete nodded again. "Just throw it higher."

"I can't." She shook her head.

"You can." He looked at her. "I know you can." Abigail shook her head and watched the ball as it bounced against a wall. "I'll help you." Pete went to pick up the ball.

"I can't throw it higher."

"I can lift you up."

"No. I don't want to be picked up." She shook her head and took a step back.

"Why not?" Pete watched her.

"I don't want to be picked up."

"Okay." He nodded. "I won't pick you up." Abigail gave a slight nod and looked at him. Pete threw the ball to her before he went to stand behind her and moved her arms into the right position again. "I'll help you throw the ball." Abigail nodded again and they continued to play basketball.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later Pete and Abigail got out of the car in front of the house and made their way up to the front door. They were both tired and hungry from playing basketball. Pete unlocked the door and they dropped their stuff in the hallway before they walked into the living room. Addison was already home and sat on the couch with her laptop open.<p>

"Hey." He smiled softly as he looked at his fiancée. "You're home early."

"No patients." She smiled and looked up at him. Pete grinned and walked over to the couch before he leaned down to kiss her. Addison reached up and placed a hand on his cheek as they kissed softly.

"I missed you," he whispered softly. "Did you have a good day?"

"I missed you too." She smiled. "I did. What about you two?"

"We had a great day." Pete smiled and turned to look at Abigail. "She's a natural."

"Good. Maybe you can stop nagging me to go and play with you now."

"Not going to happen." He shook his head. "We should all go together at some point."

"I don't think so." Addison shook her head. "The only reason I ever went to the sports hall was to watch fit guys play and get all sweaty." She grinned.

Pete looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, you're so not going."

"Too bad," she sighed. "I did bring you home instead of a fit, sweaty guy. I think it's time for a trade-in."

"Excuse me? I am fit."

"Oh really?" Addison raised an eyebrow. "What's this?" She pinched at his stomach.

"That's my muscles." He placed a hand on his stomach.

"That's flab." She poked him before she turned back to her laptop.

"If you're not satisfied with my body you can go find someone that matches your taste better," Pete said as he walked into the kitchen.

"I'm already engaged to you," she called.

"Oh you can give me that ring back if you'd like." He shrugged as he looked into the fridge.

"The caterers emailed me today. They wanted to know if we'd chosen a menu yet." She suddenly remembered to pass on the email to him.

"Are you hungry, Abigail?" Pete looked into the living room at his daughter.

"Are you ignoring me now?" Addison raised an eyebrow and looked into the kitchen while Abigail stood and watched them.

"Maybe." He smiled slightly.

"Maybe I'll ask the caterers to make all the food pink." Addison grinned as she knew how much Pete hated pink.

"You wouldn't." Pete looked at her before back at Abigail. "Shall I start making dinner?"

"I will if you keep ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you." He turned to the fridge and started taking things out. "I'm going to make dinner now."

"You didn't answer me when I said that the caterers emailed me asking if we've decided on a menu." Addison leaned back and watched him in the kitchen.

"So?" Pete got a pot from the cupboard and filled it up with water. "We have, haven't we?"

"I wanted to double check with you. Just to make sure we both still agreed."

"I do." He began to cut vegetables while he waited for the water to boil.

"Okay. I'll email them back then." Addison leaned closer to her laptop again and typed an email. Pete didn't say anything, just continued to cook in silence. "You need to go for a tux fitting soon as well," she called.

"Okay." He didn't look up as he cooked.

Addison stopped typing her email and made her way into the kitchen. "Is something wrong?" Pete just shook his head and put the vegetables into the pot. "Really?"

"I'm just not sure my tux is still going to fit with all this flab on my stomach now."

"Oh come on you know I was just kidding about that, Pete." Addison watched him.

"I know." He shrugged. "I'm just saying."

"Fine," she sighed and made her way back into the living room. Pete rolled his eyes at her and stayed in the kitchen. Abigail wandered into the kitchen and looked at Pete.

He glanced at her and gave a smile. "I'm making soup."

"When are you getting married?" she whispered.

"In a couple of months."

"Oh." She looked down, sadly.

"What's wrong?" Pete stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"Mum was getting married," she whispered. "And she said that once she was married she'd have another baby and there'd be no room for me so I had to go away."

Pete frowned and he turned towards her before he softly tilted her chin up so she was looking at him. "That's not what's going to happen, Abigail."

"You're getting married. Addison will want a baby."

"I know, and we'll have a baby at some point. But there will always be room for you, _always_."

"No, there won't," she whispered, sadly.

"You're as much a part of this family as the baby will be. We'll love you both the same."

Abigail looked up at Pete and didn't say anything.

"We're not having a baby just yet." He looked back at her. "But I promise that when we do, nothing's going to change between us. You'll just get a little brother or sister."

"But I'm not Addison's," she whispered.

"It doesn't matter." Pete shook his head. "I promise."

"I should have gone somewhere else."

"No. You belong here." He looked at her. "You shouldn't be anywhere else but here."

"I'm going upstairs," she whispered and turned to leave.

"Abigail," Pete sighed as he watched her. Abigail glanced up at him but didn't say anything. "We want you here. Both of us. I don't want you to be anywhere else but here and Addison and I getting married isn't going to change that. We're a family." He looked back at her. She turned and made her way to her bedroom as she held back the tears. Pete sighed and ran a hand over his face tiredly as he leaned against the counter.

Addison glanced up at the ten year old before she looked into the kitchen. Pete turned his head and looked back at Addison before he went back to preparing dinner.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I now suck at updating again. I need a reminder. I really do. Reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Addison sat on the stool in front of her dressing table the next morning as she listened to Pete talk. He told her about everything that had happened the day before and what Abigail had told him about Anna. Addison nodded her head as Pete pulled his shirt on and continued to talk. He walked into the en-suit and put some after shave on, all the while talking to her.<p>

"Sounds like you had a good day," she commented as she ran her brush through her hair.

"That's all you have to say?" Pete turned and walked back into the bedroom.

"What more do you want me to say?" She lowered her brush and turned to face him.

"She's never told us that much about Anna before."

"What do you want to hear? That Anna is a bitch and didn't deserve Abigail?"

"I just thought you'd have more to say about it."

Addison sighed and looked at her fiancée. "Abigail didn't deserve the life that she had but there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is make sure she has the life she deserves now."

"I know. But she has never actually told us anything about what Anna had said or done to her."

"Now she has started to tell us things."

"That's good isn't it?"

"Yes." Addison nodded. "Of course it's good." Pete nodded as well and went to his nightstand to get his watch. "It's not exactly something I want to hear, though," she admitted.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to hear how the woman who was supposed to love Abigail and give her a good life neglected her."

"She should be able to talk about it, though, get it off her chest so we can make it better."

"How can we make it better, though?" Addison looked at Pete. "How are we supposed to make it better that her own mother seemed to hate her, that she neglected her and told her that she'd be sent away?"

"By giving her all the love she didn't get during the past ten years." Pete looked back at her. "I know that we can make it better."

"We can't change her past. All we can do is change her future."

"I'm not trying to change her past. I know we can't do that."

Addison sighed and turned back to her mirror. Pete looked at her before he sat down on the bed and put on his watch.

"I hate Anna," Addison commented as she reached for her make-up.

"She's dead."

"I still hate her, though."

"Me too."

"At least you have a relationship with Abigail."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She talks to you. She looks at you. You two are bonding. What do I have with her?"

"She does talk to you and look at you."

"Very rarely. It's not me who she wants to be with. It's you." Addison looked at Pete, sadly.

"Just give her some more time."

"A relationship between us has been ruined by Anna."

"She's just scared."

"I've been trying, Pete."

"It's only been a few weeks. I'm her father. She thinks she's less likely to be rejected from me than she is from you."

"I'm not going to reject her. You have no idea how much I wish she was mine."

"Give her time."

"I'm not even being given the chance." Addison turned back to the mirror.

"Give her time," he repeated. "Don't stop trying."

"I'm not going to."

"Good."

"Yeah." Addison nodded and applied her mascara. Pete sighed and stood back up as he watched her. "Is there anything you wanted to eat? I'm going food shopping today," she commented.

"I don't mind."

Addison nodded and applied some eyeliner.

"I should get going." He checked his watch. "I'll see you tonight."

"Have a good day."

"You too." Pete walked over to her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head before he turned to leave the room. Addison gave a sigh and looked at herself in the mirror.

* * *

><p>After Pete had left the house fell into a silence. Abigail was sat on her bed in her room, her eyes on the door across from her that led into Addison's and Pete's bedroom.<p>

She'd heard every word that they had said. She'd even heard Pete slam the door slightly. She was sat there frozen, not knowing what to do. She didn't want them to fight because of her. She didn't want to be the cause of all problems anymore. She didn't want to be the one everyone blamed even when it wasn't her fault.

Abigail bit her lip before she got up from her bed and got the bag that was led on her desk in front of the window. She pulled open her closet and began to throw some clothes into the bag. She looked around and saw the perfume Addison had given her on her nightstand. She hesitated before she put it in as well.

The ten year old picked up her bag and walked out onto the hallway. She glanced at the door opposite her and then the stairs before she took a step towards the door. Abigail took a deep breath before she pushed the handle down and opened the door. Addison was led on her bed as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Addison?" Abigail whispered quietly and carefully took a step into the room.

"Oh, hey, Abi." Addison wiped at her eyes and sat up.

"Are…are you going to…to break up?"

"What?" Addison frowned and gave a sniff.

"You and…dad."

"No. No..." Addison shook her head. "What makes you think we're going to break up?"

"You had a fight…because of me."

"Oh, Abi," Addison sighed softly. "Come here." She held her arms out.

"It's my fault." Abigail's eyes filled with tears. "I should have never come here. I'm ruining everything."

"It's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

"It is." She nodded and looked down at the bag in her hands. "I should just go."

"No!" Addison looked at the ten year old. "No. You're not going anywhere. This is your home. You're part of this family, Abigail."

"No." Abigail shook her head. "I'm going to go so...so you can be happy and you...you can have a baby."

"You're not going anywhere, Abigail." Addison stood up from the bed and made her way over to Abigail. "You're part of this family. We're happy with you."

"But you're fighting." Tears rolled down Abigail's cheeks as she looked at Addison. "And you're crying." Her voice cracked. "I don't want you to cry."

"Your dad and I are a couple, we will fight. We've fought before and we'll fight again but we always make up. We love each other. We're going to spend the rest of our lives together and you're going to be part of it."

"Why are you crying?" she whispered barely audible.

"Because...because you deserve so much more than what Anna gave you," Addison whispered.

"I don't." Abigail looked down at the floor. "I don't deserve any of the things you give me."

"Yes, you do. Don't ever think that you don't deserve so much more than what your mum gave you. You're amazing, Abigail."

"Why do you want me to stay?" she whispered between sniffs. "I'm not even yours. I'll just go and you can have your life back."

"I may not have given birth to you, but you're still a part of this family. I wish so much that I was the one who gave birth to you, I really do." Addison looked at Abigail. "I don't want you to go. I want you to stay. I want us to have a mother daughter relationship. I'd love to be the mother figure in your life."

Abigail looked up at Addison and more and more tears continued to stream down her face before she began to sob.

"Come here," Addison whispered and hugged the ten year old close to her chest.

Abigail sobbed into her shirt and kept hold of her bag tightly. "No…no one's ever wanted me."

"We want you, Abi. You're part of this family and there's no getting out." Addison hugged the ten year old closer. Abigail just sniffed loudly and dropped her bag before she grasped hold of the sides of Addison's shirt. "Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay," Addison soothed. The ten year old kept hold of Addison, her shirt already soaked from her tears. "Things are going to be okay. We'll all be okay. We love you, Abi," Addison whispered.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered between sniffs.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. You haven't done anything wrong." Addison placed a kiss on top of the girl's head.

"Still." Abigail hiccupped and pulled back slowly.

"You don't have to be sorry." Addison cupped the girl's face and looked down at her.

"I can't help it," she sniffed as she looked back at her.

"Nothing is your fault. You've done nothing wrong."

"I make things complicated for you."

"I do that fine all by myself." Addison laughed softly.

"I don't want you to cry," she whispered quietly. "Crying sucks."

"You're right, it does." Addison smiled softly. "Let's not cry then." She wiped away Abigail's tears.

"Okay." Abigail nodded slightly.

"What do you want to do today?" Addison asked and tucked some of Abigail's hair behind her ear.

"I don't mind," she spoke quietly.

"It's your choice. Anything you want. We can have a girly day." Addison smiled softly.

"A girly day?" Abigail bit her lip softly.

"Yes." Addison smiled softly. "How about we go shopping for some food, pick up a few bits of make-up in your colour. We'll come back here, do manicures, pedicures and I'll do your make-up."

A smile appeared on Abigail's lips and her eyes sparkled in anticipation. "I'd like that."

"Let's go then." Addison grinned.

* * *

><p>That night, Pete arrived home from his late shift. The house was quiet as he walked in and he found Addison and Abigail asleep together on the couch. He smiled softly at the sight and quietly walked over to them. Abigail was sprawled out over the couch with her feet in Addison's lap who was curled up on the end. The TV was running quietly in the background and they looked so content.<p>

Addison began to stir and blinked up at Pete a few times. "Pete?" she murmured.

"Hey," he spoke softly as he looked down at her. "It's me."

"What time is it?" She sat up a little further and squinted to see the time.

"Just after eleven."

"Oh." She rubbed at her eyes. "I was going to wait up for you."

"It's okay." Pete smiled softly.

"Did you have a good day?" Addison leaned her head back and smiled up at him.

"Not too bad." He nodded. "But I missed my girls."

"I missed you too," she whispered. Pete gave a soft smile before he leaned down to kiss her softly. "I'm sorry about this morning."

"Me too," he spoke softly.

"I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay."

"I love you, Pete," Addison whispered and looked into his eyes.

"I know you do." He placed a tender kiss on her lips before he looked back into her eyes. "I love you too."

"She's asleep," Addison whispered. "She fell asleep just after dinner. I didn't want to disturb her."

"I'll carry her upstairs later." Pete smiled softly as he looked at her. "Did you have a good day?"

"We did." She nodded and grinned. "We had a girly day."

"Really?" His smile widened. "What did you do?"

"Manicures, pedicures then I curled Abi's hair and did her make-up."

"That sounds fun...if you're a girl."

"It is." Addison smiled, happily. "It was a really nice day."

Pete looked at her lovingly and placed another kiss on her lips before he carefully sat down next to her. "You're amazing, you know that right?"

"Hmm, you can keep telling me, though." She grinned.

"I will, don't worry." Pete smiled.

"I'm going to ask Abi if she wants to be a bridesmaid."

"She'll be excited, don't you think?"

"I hope so." Addison nodded. Pete nodded as well and wrapped an arm around Addison as he looked at Abigail. The ten year old began to stir and shifted on the couch. She gave a small mumble before she blinked at them confused.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Addison smiled softly.

"Hmm." Abigail gave a tired smile and rubbed at her eyes. "Everyone's home."

"Everyone's home." Addison nodded.

"Is it late?" She yawned.

"It's after eleven. You've been asleep since after dinner." Addison smiled softly.

"Oh." Abigail smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's fine. You looked tired. Time for bed, though." Addison gently rubbed the girl's shin.

"Can't we just sleep here?" She snuggled down.

Addison laughed softly and shook her head. "You are so your father's daughter." Abigail bit her lip softly and looked at Pete. "Come on, let's go to bed before you're both asleep down here," Addison teased.

"If you're too tired to move I can carry you." Pete smiled softly as he and Addison got up from the couch.

"I'll lock up and turn the lights off." Addison made her way to the patio doors to lock them.

"Come on." He looked down at Abigail. "Time for bed." The ten year old gave a yawn and sat up. "Sleepyhead." Pete smiled as he watched her.

"Like father, like daughter," Addison commented.

"Shush." He smiled and turned back to Abigail, holding his hands out to her. "Want me to carry you?"

"It's a good job I love you both to put up with you." Addison grinned while Abigail shook her head at Pete. Pete rolled his eyes at his fiancée and followed her to the stairs.

"Sleep well, Abi." Pete placed a kiss on her forehead as they stopped in front of her room

"Sweet dreams." Addison smiled softly.

"Night." Abigail looked at them before she turned and walked into her room.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: The next update will be either Saturday or Monday as I'm not around Sunday. Don't worry you will get an update :)

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, Abigail agreed to go shopping with Addison while Pete spent the morning in the practice. Addison and Abigail walked down the street with a few bags already in their hands as they headed into another store. The ten year old walked into the store after Addison and followed her around as she looked at the different things they had.<p>

"So, what would you like to look at in here?" Addison asked.

"I don't mind," she spoke quietly and gave a shrug.

"It's your choice." Addison smiled softly and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders.

Abigail glanced up at her unsure and looked around her in the shop. "They have pretty bags." She pointed slightly.

"Let's go look then." Addison smiled as they made their way to the bag section. "You're going to need a school bag."

Abigail nodded and let her finger brush over the fabric of a purple bag. "I have the one I came with," she spoke quietly.

"You need more than one bag and one that will fit everything in for school." Addison instantly began to look through the selection of bags.

"Okay." She gave a small nod.

"Do you like that purple bag, Abi?" Addison asked.

"I like the colour."

"You can have whatever bag you want."

Abigail looked up at Addison before down at the two shopping bags in her hand. "But...you already bought me the hair bands and the T-shirt."

"So?" Addison looked down at the girl. "It is things you need." Abigail looked back up at Addison before she turned to the bags again. "Anyway, I should be allowed to spoil you." Addison smiled softly and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders again.

"You've already bought me so much," Abigail spoke softly as she fingered the purple bag.

"It doesn't matter." Addison shook her head in protest.

"You're going to spend all your money on me." The girl looked up at her innocently.

"It's better than spending it on me. Anyway, I _want_ to."

"But...I..." she trailed off and looked back at the bags.

"But you what?" Addison spoke softly and looked down at Abigail.

"I...I don't even deserve any of the things you give me." Abigail didn't look at her.

"Yes you do." Addison hugged the girl close to her side. "You _do_ deserve this."

"I don't." She shook her head. "Why would anyone want to spend money on me?"

"Because you're amazing and we love you." Addison kissed Abigail's forehead. "Don't say you don't deserve it because you do."

"I've never had this many things in my life before," she whispered.

"Now you do." Addison smiled down at the girl. "So, which bag do you want?"

Abigail shrugged softly. "Which one do you like best?"

"I like the purple one." Addison grinned. "I think it would suit you."

"Me too." Abigail smiled. Addison reached out and took the purple bag off the shelf before they continued to look around.

* * *

><p>Pete was already waiting for them in front of the swimming pool and smiled as he saw them.<p>

"Hey." Addison grinned and tenderly kissed him.

"Hey." Pete placed a hand on her hip as he kissed her back.

"Did you have a good morning?" she asked.

"Yeah, finished my patients early." He smiled and placed a kiss on Abigail's hair to greet her. "What about you two?"

"We've had lots of fun." Addison grinned, widely. "I think Abi is all set for school on Monday."

"That's great." Pete smiled as they walked into the swimming hall.

"We'll meet you in there." Addison smiled as her and Abigail headed towards the women's changing rooms. They both changed into their bikinis before they met Pete at the pool ten minutes later. They all slid in and let the water cover their bodies. Abigail kept a tight hold of the edge of the pool and made sure her feet kept contact with the floor.

"Come on, take hold of my hands." Addison held her hands out to Abigail. Abigail looked up at Addison before she slowly let go with one hand and placed it in Addison's before doing the same with her other hand.

"Don't look so scared." Addison smiled softly. "We won't let anything happen.

"I'm really scared," she breathed.

"We're here. Nothing is going to happen," Addison promised and made sure she had a secure grip on Abigail's hands.

"Do we have to go to the deep end?"

"No, we'll stay right here in the shallow end."

"Okay." Abigail nodded and kept hold of Addison's hands.

"Your dad will hold you up and then kick your legs." Addison looked at Abigail.

"You don't have to be afraid, we're right here." Pete watched them.

"We've got hold of you." Addison watched as Pete placed his hands under Abigail's stomach to hold her up.

"Now kick your legs." He held her securely.

"We've got you," Addison reassured Abigail as she began to kick.

"Good." Pete nodded as he watched her.

"A little harder," Addison instructed as she slowly moved backwards in the water. Abigail continued to kick and she kept hold of Addison's hands. "Keep kicking." Addison smiled softly.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm moving back so you can swim forward." Addison smiled softly. Abigail bit her lip and watched Addison as she continued to kick the water. "You're doing great."

"When I let go of you, you can swim after Addison," Pete looked at Abigail as he held her.

"No!" Abigail shook her head.

"You can always put your feet on the ground and Addi still has your hands."

"No, no!" Abigail shook her head again.

"I'll be right behind you." Pete watched her. "I promise nothing is going to happen to you."

"It's okay if you don't want to," Addison reassured Abigail.

"I can't do this." She shook her head.

"We'll keep holding you then." Addison smiled softly.

"I'll hold you and Addi can show you how to move your arms properly," Pete suggested.

"I'll slowly let go, okay?" Addison looked at Abigail.

"Only one of you though."

"Your dad will hold you the whole time," she promised and slowly let go of the girl's hands. Abigail looked at Addison and hesitantly began to move her hand in the water as she let go. "That's right." Addison smiled. "Keep going."

"Like that?" Abigail looked at her unsure.

"Just like that." Addison smiled. Abigail looked down at her hands and moved them in the water. "Keep going."

"I can move to your side and hold you, so you could try the same movements with your legs." Pete looked down at Abigail.

"I'll stand the other side." Addison moved in the water so that both her and Pete were either side of Abigail. They were both holding her up as she moved her arms and legs in the water. "That's amazing, Abi." Addison grinned.

"Really?" Abigail looked down at her hands as she moved them.

"Really." Addison nodded.

"Don't let go though."

"We won't, I promise."

Abigail nodded and continued to move her arms and legs. Addison smiled softly and looked at Pete.

He smiled back before he looked back down at Abigail. "You're doing really great."

* * *

><p>A smile played on Pete's lips as he crawled into bed next to his fiancée that night before he leaned down to softly press his lips to hers. Addison grinned back as she tenderly kissed him back.<p>

"Hmmm." Pete smiled and slid his arms around her body.

"Hmm, you're so cuddly."

"Do you mind?"

"No, I love it about you." Addison grinned.

"I'm only cuddly when it comes to you."

"And Abi." She kissed his nose.

"And Abi." He nodded and softly caressed her back with his hands.

"We're the only ones you're allowed to be cuddly with."

"I wouldn't want to be cuddly with anyone else." Pete smiled softly.

"Good." Addison grinned and rested her chin on his chest.

Pete smiled and brushed some hair from her face before he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Today was great, wasn't it?"

"It really was," she whispered.

"I've never seen her this happy before."

"She's really coming out of her shell now," Addison agreed.

"I know." Pete smiled softly.

"It's good that she's settling in."

"It is." He nodded. "You quite spoiled her while shopping today."

"I couldn't help it," Addison replied, sheepishly, while a blush appeared on her cheeks. "She's hasn't got many clothes, she needed a new bag and all. I should be able to spoil her."

Pete looked at her and a grin appeared on his lips before he kissed her. "I love you."

"And I love you."

"She really enjoys being spoiled by you."

"I'm glad." Addison smiled softly. Pete smiled back and ran his fingers over her back softly. "You know, I wasn't so sure how I'd take to having her in the family," she admitted.

"I know that you weren't thrilled about the thought."

"I'd just always imagined that we'd be raising our child."

"We'll still be able to do that."

"I know." Addison nodded. "I'd just always imagined things differently."

"Do you still feel that way?"

"No." She shook her head. "I wouldn't have it any other way now."

"Okay." Pete nodded slightly.

"Abi's part of this family and she's not going anywhere."

"I'm glad you feel that way." He looked at her. "I want you both to be happy. More than anything."

"I am happy, Pete." Addison looked into his eyes.

Pete looked back into hers and nodded before he smiled softly. "Okay."

"We're a family."

"We are."

"Would you have been in her life if you had known?" Addison asked, quietly.

"I would have taken her to live with me a long time ago, if I had known."

"Even though you were so young?"

"Yeah, she's my daughter."

"If you had known her all these years maybe her and I would have a better relationship," she whispered and looked up at Pete.

"We'd both have a better relationship with her." Pete looked back at her and brushed his thumb over her cheek. "But we can still have that."

"I can't help but feel that she doesn't trust me as much as she trusts you."

"She's just scared," he spoke softly. "It'll get better."

"I hope so." Addison placed her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his stomach.

"It will." Pete placed a kiss on her hair. "Think about what she was like at the beginning, we're getting there."

"We are," she agreed. Pete smiled softly and tightened his arms around her as he breathed in her scent. "Do you ever think she'll think of me as her mum?" Addison whispered and ran her hand over his stomach.

"Do you want her to?"

"Is it wrong that I want her to? Is that selfish of me?"

"No." Pete shook his head softly. "It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you." Addison gave a small sigh and looked up at her fiancée. "You don't have to feel bad for wanting that." He looked back at her. "Especially not after what she's been through."

"I know I'm not her mum, but I'd like to be her mother figure."

"I'm not even sure she even thinks of me as her dad yet." He gave a small sigh. "But I think eventually she will."

"She calls you dad," Addison pointed out.

"She's only started doing that a couple of days ago."

"Still, she calls you dad. That's something."

"You want her to call you mum?" Pete smiled softly.

"I don't want her to do something she's not comfortable with. I want her to be happy."

"We just have to give her time."

Addison nodded and placed her head back on his chest. Pete placed another kiss on her hair and tangled their legs together as they lay on the bed. "We'll all be okay, won't we?" she whispered.

"We'll be okay." He nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I am so sorry that you didn't get an update last weekend. Life suddenly became so hectic! I haven't actually spent a night at home this week so I've had no way of getting this to you! However, to make it up to you, I will post the next chapter tomorrow and then the following one the weekend. I'll try not to let life take over next weekend for you!

* * *

><p>"Right, lunch is all ready. You have your pencil case, note book, lunch money, a bottle of water," Addison began to check things off that Abigail would need for her first day of school.<p>

"It looks like she's all set." Pete watched them.

"I haven't forgotten anything, have I?" Addison looked up at her fiancée and tilted her head slightly to the side.

"No." He smiled softly. "You haven't. She's got everything she needs."

"Right, good." Addison nodded and looked at Abigail. "You've had enough to eat for breakfast?"

"Yeah." She nodded slightly and kept a tight hold on her purple school bag.

"You ready to go?"

Abigail nodded again and looked at them.

"Okay, let's go then." Addison nodded. The three of them made their way out to the car before they got in and Pete drove them to her new school.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were sat in the head teacher's office. Abigail was sat on a chair between Addison and Pete and nervously played with the hem of her shirt.<p>

"It is so nice to finally meet you." Mrs. White, the head teacher, smiled softly at the three of them.

"We're really glad you found a place for Abigail at such short notice."

"We had a space available. We just need to know all her previous schools."

"Okay." Pete nodded.

Mrs. White pulled out a folder and picked up a pen. "Let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

"Sure." He nodded again and looked over at Abigail and Addison. Addison glanced back at Pete before back at the head teacher.

"She's visited two previous schools, am I right?" Mrs. White looked at them.

"Erm, we're not really sure," Addison admitted.

"You're not sure?" She looked at Addison.

"Abi has only been living with us for a few weeks," Addison began to explain.

"Who did she live with until then?"

"Her mother."

"And you are?" The teacher looked at her with one eyebrow slightly raised.

"Her stepmother," Addison replied.

"Okay." Mrs. White nodded and took a few notes. "And you haven't talked about these kind of things yet?"

"Miss. Wester passed away." Addison glanced at Pete.

"Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that." The teacher looked at the three of them.

"Abi, do you want to tell Mrs. White the names of your previous schools?" Pete spoke softly as he looked down at his daughter. Abigail shrugged and glanced up at Pete.

"You don't know them?"

"I didn't go often," she whispered.

"You didn't go to school?" Mrs. White looked at the girl.

"Sometimes." Abigail looked up at the head teacher. She didn't feel comfortable in the older woman's presence.

"Do you have any reports? Grades?" The head teacher enquired but was only met with a shake of a head. "What class do you suggest we put her in then?" Mrs. White looked at Pete and Addison. Addison opened her mouth slightly to say something but then closed it and looked at Pete.

"We'd appreciate it if you'd put her in the class that's appropriate for her age. She's a smart girl and she has our full support." Pete looked at the teacher.

"I'm sure with help she'll be able to catch up with all the others." Addison nodded. She knew the girl had been through so much she didn't want her to feel left out in school because she had been held back a few years.

"Well, we can give it a try." Mrs. White nodded. "Maybe you can find out the names of her previous schools by next week so we can contact them?"

"We'll get in touch with her grandparents. I'm sure they'll know." Addison nodded. They would do what they could.

"That would be great." She nodded again. "Why don't you follow me to Abigail's classroom then?" Mrs. White got up from her chair.

The three of them stood up and followed her from the office. They walked along a long hallway before Mrs. White stopped in front of a door and smiled at them. Addison glanced in through the window at the class that was in there.

"Are you ready to go in there?" Mrs. White smiled at Abigail. Abigail looked up at Pete and Addison and edged backwards.

"You don't have to be scared." Pete looked down at her. "It'll be fun. You'll make new friends."

"We'll be here to pick you up as well," Addison promised.

"When?" Abigail whispered.

"Three o'clock."

Abigail looked up at them before she nodded slightly.

"It'll be okay," Addison soothed.

"What if I don't like it?" she spoke quietly.

"You will."

Abigail looked at them before she glanced at the door. Addison reached out and hugged the girl softly. Abigail rested her head against Addison's chest and bit her lip nervously.

"You'll be okay," Addison whispered.

"We'll be here to pick you up," Pete spoke softly and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm sure there are some people in there just waiting to be your friends." Addison smiled. Abigail gave a small nod and slowly pulled back. Addison rubbed the ten year old's back and looked up at the head teacher.

"Come on then, Abigail." Mrs. White smiled softly and opened the door to the classroom. Addison and Pete gave her a reassuring smile as she slowly walked into the room. Mrs. White closed the door behind them before she introduced her to the teacher and students.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Abigail was sat at her desk, sipping on the bottle of water that Addison had given her as the teacher announced their first break. Everyone packed up their bag and began to disperse from the classroom. She glanced around her unsure before she picked up her bag and stood up as well.<p>

"Hey, do you want to come with us at break?" One of the girls in the class smiled at Abigail.

Abigail looked up at her surprised before she gave a small shrug. "I don't know," she spoke quietly.

"It'll beat spending break on your own." Lisa shrugged herself.

"Okay." She nodded slightly.

"We're going to go sit under the big tree on the field."

Abigail nodded again and picked up her bag. Lisa smiled and the group of girls made their way outside to the tree. They all put their bags on the ground and sat down. Abigail glanced at the other girls as they all began to talk about their weekend.

"You're Abigail, right?" Another girl looked at her. Abigail gave a small nod and looked at the girl. "Did you just move here then?"

"Sort of," she whispered.

"I really like your bag." The girl grinned.

"It's new." Abigail looked down at her purple bag that Addison had bought her.

"It's pretty."

"Thanks," she whispered and nodded.

"I'm Jenny, by the way."

"And I'm Lisa." The first girl smiled. Abigail nodded and gave them a small smile. "Hey, you should totally come shopping with us on Saturday." Lisa smiled.

"I, erm...I don't know." Abigail looked at her.

"We're going to the cinema as well."

"I...I'll have to ask my parents," she spoke quietly.

"Sure." Lisa smiled before she turned to another girl and started talking.

Abigail watched them before she looked down and played with her bag. The group of girls began to laugh at something and Abigail glanced up at them. She watched as they giggled, but she couldn't figure out about what. A few of them began to whisper to each other as they giggled. Abigail dropped her head down again and didn't look them.

"So, Abigail." Lisa turned her head and looked at her.

"Where did you live before you moved here then?"

"Erm, the other side of LA." Abigail looked at them.

"And why did you come here?"

"Erm." She toyed with the strap of her bag and didn't look at them. "My dad got a new job," she lied.

"Awesome." Lisa grinned. "What does he do?"

"He's a doctor."

"And your mum?"

"Erm…a surgeon."

"Cool." They smiled at her. Abigail nodded and gave them a small smile. "They have to let you come shopping with us on Saturday, it's going to be so much fun."

"I'll ask."

"Awesome."

Abigail gave a small smile and nodded again.

* * *

><p>"So," Pete smiled as he sat down on the couch across from Abigail and Addison that night. "Tell us about your first day." The ten year old just shrugged and looked down at the cushion on the couch next to her. "Did you not have a good time?"<p>

"I don't know anyone there," she spoke quietly.

"You'll get to know them."

Abigail shrugged again and played with the tassel that fell from the corner of the cushion.

"Have you talked to anyone yet?" Pete watched her.

"A few girls." She nodded.

"That's good." He smiled softly.

"We told you that it would be fine, didn't we?" Addison smiled as well. Abigail gave a small nod and kept her head down. "Hey, what's wrong?" Addison wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. Abigail shrugged and leaned into her side. "Really?" Addison ran her hand up and down Abigail's arm as she hugged her close.

"They ask so many questions," she spoke quietly.

"They'll stop after a few days, don't worry."

Abigail nodded and looked down at her hands.

"You don't have to tell them if you don't want to," Addison whispered before she dropped a kiss on the top of the girl's head.

"I know," she whispered.

"Do what you're comfortable with."

Abigail nodded and rested her head against Addison's chest. Addison rested her head on top of her and gave a small sigh.

"It'll get better. That was only your first day." Pete smiled softly as he watched them. She looked up at her father but didn't say anything. "And if you need help with your homework or studying, we're always going to be here to help you."

"We'll always be here for you, Abi." Addison looked down at Abigail curled against her side. The ten year old nodded her head softly. "You can talk to us about anything."

"I didn't tell them the truth today," she admitted quietly.

"That's okay." Addison nodded. "You don't have to if you don't want to. It's your choice." Abigail nodded hear head and didn't say anything. "You can tell them what you want," Addison whispered.

"Okay," she spoke quietly. Addison kissed the top of the girl's head again before she rested her cheek against the top of her head. Abigail hesitated before she wrapped an arm around Addison's middle. Addison's lips curved into a sift smile as she cuddled the girl close.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Life took over again I am so sorry. I'll stop giving you a day of when I'll update that way you won't be disappointed when life takes over and I'm unable to update. You'll hate me less that way! Anyway, reviews are much appreciated as always. Enjoy._

* * *

><p>That Saturday, Addison and Abigail spent the afternoon in the mall together. They wandered through a store while Addison tried to find a pair of trousers. Abigail walked behind her with a bag slung over her shoulder as she looked around. Addison stopped at a rack and began to look at the few styles of trousers there. The ten year old watched her before she turned and let her hand brush over the material of a few coats when she suddenly heard her name being called. She looked up and saw the group of girls waving at her.<p>

Lisa was grinning as she looked at her before they made their way closer. "Hi, Abigail!"

"Hi," Abigail spoke, quietly.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were busy today." Lisa looked at her.

"My dad had to go into work."

"You could have come here with us."

"He didn't get called in until this morning." Abigail shrugged.

"Are you here with your mum then?" Another girl looked at her.

"Yeah." She nodded. "She's looking for some trousers." They nodded and looked over at Addison. Abigail glanced up at Addison who was unaware of the group of girls looking.

"Your mum is pretty," another girl stated as they stood there.

"Is that her natural hair colour?" Lisa asked in awe.

"I, erm, yeah." Abigail nodded slightly. She wasn't actually sure. There was still a lot she didn't know about Addison, or Pete for that matter.

"She's so lucky. It's so shiny."

"I know." Abigail nodded again and twisted a strand of her own hair around her finger.

"How come you don't have the same colour hair?" Lisa turned her head and looked at Abigail. "Both my mum and I have blonde hair."

"I have my dad's hair I guess." Abigail shrugged. The girls shrugged as well and watched Addison search through the trousers for her size.

"I should get back to her," Abigail spoke quietly as she looked at the girls.

"Won't she let you come and join us?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know." She looked at her. "I feel mean making her shop on her own now."

"Go and ask her. I bet she'll say yes," Lisa urged. It was obvious she didn't hear the word no often.

"I don't know." Abigail shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't you want to come shopping with us?" Lisa asked her.

"I do, but I came here with her."

"Whatever then." Lisa shrugged and Abigail nodded as she looked at them before she glanced down. "Guess we'll see you in school. Bye, Abigail." The group of girls quickly turned and left.

"Bye," she spoke quietly before she turned and walked back to Addison.

"Where did you disappear to?" Addison smiled softly at Abigail.

"I met a few girls from school." She shrugged.

"You could have gone shopping with them if you want to."

Abigail looked up at Addison before she shrugged again.

"Didn't you want to?" Addison looked down at the girl.

"No."

"Why not?" she asked softly as they made their way towards the lingerie section.

"I don't know." She shrugged again. "I'm here with you."

"I wouldn't have minded."

Abigail looked around and didn't say anything. Addison gave a soft sigh before she looked away from Abigail and to the bras.

"I'd rather go with you," Abigail whispered quietly and shrugged.

"Aww." Addison grinned and hugged Abigail close to her side. The ten year old blushed and softly bit her bottom lip. "Help me choose a new bra, then." Addison looked at the selection in front of them.

"Me?" Abigail looked up at the bras.

"Yes." Addison nodded. "I need a new one and I don't know what style to go for this time. Abigail nodded slightly and looked at the different bras.

"I like that one." Abigail pointed at a nude coloured one. Addison picked the bra up to look at the style properly. Abigail watched Addison before she looked at other bras.

"Do you need any new underwear, Abi?" Addison asked as she picked up a spotty push up bra.

"I don't think so."

"Well, there's no harm in buying more anyway, if you want some."

Abigail nodded slightly and brushed her fingertips over a pink and purple striped bra. Addison smiled as she continued to look at the bras.

"Have you found one you like?" Abigail looked at Addison.

"More than one." She smiled.

"Are you going to get them?"

"I think I'll get three for now. Did you want one?"

"A bra?" Abigail looked at Addison.

"Yes." Addison nodded. "Have you not had one before?"

"No." She shook her head before she looked down at her chest.

Addison frowned. "Why not?"

"I don't know."

"You should really have a bra." Addison glanced down at Abigail's chest as well.

"Why?"

"Because you're starting to grow and your chest needs support."

Abigail looked at Addison before she glanced down and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"We should get you measured," Addison commented. "I'm not sure what size you'd be."

"Get me measured?" Abigail looked at her unsure.

"I'll come with you, don't worry." Addison gave a reassuring smile.

"Can't we just buy the smallest one?"

"No." Addison shook her head. "It could be too small. I suppose you could just try a few different sizes on if you wanted."

"Okay," she spoke quietly and nodded.

"Let's try that then." Addison smiled and picked up a few sizes for Abigail. Abigail watched her before they walked towards the changing rooms together. "Try each of them on and see which fits the best." Addison handed her the bras. Abigail looked from Addison down to the bras and bit her lip softly before she nodded. "I'm right here if you need help." Addison smiled softly.

"Okay." She nodded before she disappeared into the changing room. Abigail hung the bras up on the rail in the changing and took her top off. She took hold of the first one and slid the straps up her shoulders. She stretched the middle bit around to her back and tried to do it up. She stretched her arms the best she could but she couldn't get the clasp to close. She stood in the changing room and had no idea how to get the bra on. She gave a sigh and bit her lip, embarrassed.

"Is everything alright, Abi?" Addison called.

"I, erm, I'm not sure," she admitted.

"Does it not fit?"

"No, I...I'm not sure how to put it on."

"Put it on backwards and do the clasp up and then turn it around and put the straps on," Addison instructed. Abigail looked down at the bra before she did as Addison told her. "Does it fit?" Addison asked.

"I think it's a little big."

"Try a smaller size."

Abigail nodded before she put on another bra that seemed to fit better.

"How's that one?" Addison called after a few minutes.

"Better."

"Do you think that's the right size?"

"I think so." Abigail nodded.

"If you think that is the right size then we'll get you a few more bras in that size."

"Okay." The ten year old nodded again before she put her shirt back on. Addison smiled softly as Abigail walked out and they made their way to find some more bras.

* * *

><p>"We should really book our honeymoon soon," Addison commented as she stood in the bathroom that night.<p>

"We have to figure out what to do with Abi first." Pete stood in front of the closet with a towel around his hips and got a fresh pair of boxers and a shirt.

"Well, I thought maybe she could come with us." Addison shrugged as she wiped her make-up off.

"With us?" Pete looked into the bathroom.

"Yeah." She nodded and turned her head to look at him. "Would you mind that?"

"I guess not." He walked over to his side of the bed and put his clothes down.

"I just thought it's a bit too soon to leave her." Addison walked in from the bathroom and turned the light off. "Who would we even leave her with?"

"I know." Pete nodded and dropped the towel before he reached for his boxers.

"Do you mind?" She walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back.

"I don't like the thought of leaving her alone either." He picked up the towel and carried it into the bathroom.

"Okay." Addison smiled softly as she sat down on the bed. Pete walked back into the room and gave a smile before he put on his shirt. "Have you decided where you want to spend our honeymoon?"

"I was thinking Europe." He sat down on his side of the bed.

"Sounds perfect." Addison smiled.

"Somewhere warm." Pete gave a smile back and scooted closer to her.

"How about Spain?"

"Spain sounds good."

"Great." Addison smiled. Pete smiled and wrapped his arms around her before he placed a kiss on her neck. She giggled softly and cuddled into him. He smiled softly and placed another kiss there before he looked down at her.

"I just thought, you know, that there'd be a lot of us time, since it's ours honeymoon and all."

"I'm sorry, babe," she whispered.

"Hmm, yeah." He shrugged.

"We're going to be together forever."

"I know." Pete nodded.

"We'll have loads of us time." She smiled softly.

"Mhmm, like we do right now." He pulled her closer.

"We do." She grinned. Pete smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly. "I love you," Addison whispered.

"I love you too."

"Pete," she whispered.

"Yeah?" He looked down at her and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Having Abi here makes me want to start trying." She looked up at him and subconsciously bit down on her bottom lip.

"Trying? For a baby?" Pete looked back at her and Addison nodded. He looked down at her and smiled softly. "I want that too, but do you think with everything that's going on right now that would be a good idea?"

"No," she sighed. "It would be the wrong time."

"Just give it a few more months."

"Yeah." She nodded.

"We'll have a talk with Abi first and then we can start trying after the wedding."

"I don't know if she'd be okay with it."

"We'll just have to talk to her."

Addison nodded and snuggled closer to him. Pete tightened his arms around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. She gave a soft sigh and closed her eyes.

"Let's concentrate on the wedding for now," he spoke softly.

"I've got a dress fitting on Saturday," she whispered.

"You do?" Pete smiled.

"I do." She nodded.

"I can't wait to see you in it."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to wait."

"Hmm, I know," he sighed.

"Abi needs her dress fitted as well."

"Have you talked to her about the bridesmaid thing?"

"Not yet." She shook her head.

"We can take her dress shopping soon. See if she finds one she likes."

"I've got one picked out."

"You do? I didn't know that."

"Both her and Nae have to be in the same dress." Addison looked at Pete.

"Oh, right." He nodded.

"I just need Abi to have it fitted on her."

"Then we should talk to her soon."

"We will." Addison nodded.

Pete looked down at her and gave a soft smile before he placed a kiss on her lips. "I can't wait to marry you."

"I'll finally be Mrs. Wilder," she whispered.

"You will." He smiled and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"At last." Addison gave a yawn and closed her eyes.

"Hmm, sleep," Pete whispered softly and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're tired."

"I plan to," she whispered. "Night, Pete."

"Night, Addison."

* * *

><p>So, we thought we'd give you a bit more bonding between Addison and Abigail and then some paddie fluff :D<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

A week later, Addison unlocked the front door and slowly made her way inside. It was already late and all she could hear was the quiet sound of the TV in the living room. She shut the door behind her and made her way into the living room.

"Hey, baby." Pete looked up at her as she walked in. "Finally." Addison gave a watery smile before the tears began to roll down her cheeks. Pete frowned and sat up instantly. "Hey, what happened?" he asked softly.

"I've just had a really horrible day," she whispered.

"Come here." He held his arms out to her. Addison collapsed in his arms as she began to sob. Pete wrapped his arms around her tightly and ran his hands up and down her back, soothingly.

"It's been so horrible," she sobbed.

"Shhh, it's okay," he whispered softly. "I'm here."

"It's not fair. It's just not." Her hands grasped hold of his top, tightly.

"What happened?"

"A woman was in premature labour. She started bleeding out and I had to rush her into surgery. I couldn't stop the bleeding." Her voice quivered.

Pete looked down at her and wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "You can't save everyone, Addi."

"Her son died three hours later."

He looked at her before he pulled her as close to him as he could. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"She was so young. She had her whole life ahead of her. It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life."

"It wasn't your fault, Addi."

"It's just not fair. They didn't deserve that." Addison squeezed her eyes shut.

"Of course they didn't," he spoke softly and held her close.

"I tried everything I could."

"I'm sure you did." Pete nodded. "I know you. You don't give up without one hell of a fight." Addison grasped hold of his shirt tighter as she continued to cry. "Shh," he whispered and tightened his arms around her. "It's okay."

"No." Addison shook her head.

"You can't save them all, Addi. It wasn't fair, but it never is. It wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done differently."

Abigail slowly made her way down the stairs and stopped as she saw them clinging to each other. She frowned and watched as Addison's body shook as she cried. The ten year old lowered herself down so that she sat on a stair. All she could hear was Addison's quiet sobs and the soothing words Pete whispered into her ear. She didn't understand why Addison was crying. She bit her lip nervously and didn't know what to do.

Addison buried her face into his chest and didn't want to let go. Pete kept his arms around her and held her, knowing that there was nothing else he could do. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, baby," he spoke softly and ran his hand through her hair.

"It could be anyone," she whispered.

"You can't save them all, Addi."

"I know." She nodded. Pete dropped a kiss on the top of her head and caressed her back softly. Addison let out a sigh and closed her eyes again.

"Do you need anything?"

"No," she whispered. Pete nodded and kept his arms around her.

Abigail took hold of the banister and watched them. She bit her lip before she slowly got up to walk back upstairs. Quietly, she climbed the stairs again.

Addison wiped at her eyes and gave a sniff. Pete dropped another kiss on her hair before he looked down at her.

"There's some dinner left if you're hungry," he spoke quietly.

She shook her head. "I think I'm just going to take a bath and go to sleep."

"Okay." He nodded. "I'll just switch everything off down here then I'll come and join you."

Addison nodded as well before she turned and made her way up the stairs. She had just reached the top of the stairs when she saw Abigail come out of her room. The ten year old froze as she looked at Addison and didn't know what to say. Addison attempted a small smile before she walked over to Abigail and hugged her tightly. Abigail looked surprised and wasn't sure what to do at first. Addison closed her eyes again and breathed in the girl's scent.

"I...are you okay?" Abigail whispered quietly and put her hands on Addison's sides lightly.

Addison nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm okay." The ten year old nodded but stayed a little tense. "I love you, Abi," Addison whispered.

"Y-you do?" Abigail asked, barely audible.

"I do." Addison nodded. Abigail buried her face into Addison's chest before she wrapped her arms around her. Addison hugged the girl close and kissed the top of her head. Abigail relaxed into Addison's arms and squeezed her eyes close as she hugged her back.

"I'm going to go take a bath now but I'll come in after to say goodnight, okay?"

"Okay." Abigail nodded slightly. Addison kissed her forehead and made her way into the bathroom. The ten year old watched her before she turned and walked back into her room.

* * *

><p>Once Addison had taken her bath, she made her way into Abigail's room as she had promised. Abigail was already led under her covers, cuddling her teddy bear close as she waited.<p>

"Hey," Addison spoke softly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey." Abigail gave a small smile.

"Have you had a good day?" She reached a hand out and tenderly stroked Abigail's hair.

"I went to the beach with dad after school," she spoke quietly and smiled.

"He didn't try and build a sandcastle with you, did he?" Addison smiled.

"No," she giggled softly.

"Good."

"I found a pretty shell though."

"There's normally quite a few on the beach." Addison nodded. "They'd be nice to collect."

"They're pretty." Abigail nodded as well.

"They are." She smiled.

Abigail nodded again and looked up at Addison. "Are you still sad?"

"A little." She nodded. "I think a cuddle will help."

Abigail looked at her and bit her lip softly as she hesitated. "Do...do you want one from me maybe?"

"I'd love one from you." Addison smiled and lay down on the bed next to shifted to make some space before she curled into Addison's side. Addison wrapped her arms around the girl's side and rested her head on top of hers.

"Did something happen to your patient?" Abigail asked quietly.

"She died," Addison whispered. "And her son died three hours later."

"I'm sorry," Abigail whispered back and snuggled closer to Addison.

"It's not your fault." Addison shook her head.

"I'm sorry you couldn't help her," she spoke quietly and played with the hem of the blanket that covered her.

"Unfortunately we can't save everyone," Addison whispered.

"You're still a good doctor though," Abigail tried to cheer her up.

"I know." She nodded. "It's just hard when you lose both mother and baby." She sighed and closed her eyes. Abigail nodded softly and tightened her arm around Addison's stomach.

"It scares me too," Addison admitted, quietly.

"Why?" Abigail asked.

"Because it can happen to anyone."

"When you and dad have a baby, can it happen to you too?"

"It's a very small chance if the pregnancy is healthy."

"But it can still happen."

"Yes." She nodded. "It can happen to anyone." Abigail nodded her head softly. "Don't worry, though, okay?" Addison kissed the top of the girl's head.

"I don't want it to happen to you." Abigail rested her head against her chest and closed her eyes.

"I'll be okay."

Abigail nodded and kept her eyes closed.

"It'll take a lot to get rid of me." Addison smiled softly.

"I hope so," she spoke quietly.

"Don't worry, okay? I have to get pregnant first."

"I know."

"We're a family. We'll be okay," Addison reassured the girl.

"I'm family?" Abigail opened her eyes and looked down at her arm that was led across Addison's stomach.

"Of course you are, Abi." Addison looked down at the ten year old. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"I don't know." She gave a small shrug. "You haven't known me that long."

"You're Pete's daughter. You're part of this family."

Abigail nodded softly and looked down at her hand. "I like having a family," she admitted quietly.

"You'll always have a family with us," Addison promised. Abigail gave a small smile and closed her eyes again. "You'll always have us," she whispered and hugged Abigail closer.

"No matter what happens?" The ten year old asked quietly, already drifting off of to sleep.

"No matter what."

Abigail gave a contented sigh and kept her arm tightly around Addison's middle as sleep overtook her body.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Abigail's bedroom door opened and Pete made his way inside. He stopped as he saw the two of them led in Abigail's bed and a soft smile appeared on his lips at the sight. Addison had her arms wrapped tightly around the young girl as they slept peacefully. They both looked so contented he knew he wouldn't be able to disturb them. Instead, he got a blanket and covered them both up. He made sure that neither of them would get cold before he placed a kiss on their foreheads. Addison gave a small mumble and cuddled Abigail closer.<p>

"I love you two," Pete whispered softly. He stood and watched them for a while before he made his way to his bedroom.

* * *

><p>"Hmm," Pete murmured quietly as he felt the bed move a couple of hours later, pulling him out of his peaceful slumber.<p>

"Sorry," Addison whispered. "Go back to sleep."

"It's okay." He blinked confused and shifted slightly.

"I didn't mean to wake you." She curled up to his back and kissed his shoulder.

"Did you sleep in Abi's bed until now?"

"I fell asleep next to her." She wrapped her arms around his waist. Pete smiled softly and lifted one of her hands up to place a kiss on it before he put it back down. "She's a bit of a wriggler," Addison whispered and closed her eyes.

"You looked comfortable when I checked on you earlier. I didn't want to disturb you."

"It's fine."

"She can be quite cuddly, can't she?" Pete smiled softly.

"She can," Addison agreed and smiled. Pete smiled as well and closed his eyes again as he kept hold of Addison's hand. "I'm so glad she's here," Addison whispered.

"Me too." He nodded. Addison gave a yawn and snuggled closer to him. "I love you two so much," Pete whispered softly.

"And we love you," Addison whispered back.

Pete smiled softly and linked his fingers with hers. "She loves you too."

"You really think so?"

"I do." He nodded. "She just hasn't said it yet. She hasn't said it to me either."

"I just want her to be happy. She deserves that."

"Me too," Pete agreed.

"Do you think she likes being here?"

"I hope so." He gave a small sigh.

"Do you think she'd rather be somewhere else?"

"She's never said anything."

"She's never said anything about liking it here, either." Addison buried her face into his shoulder.

"I know." He nodded slightly. She gave a sigh and tightened her arms around him. "We love her, and we do everything we can to make sure she's okay. We just have to give her time."

"You're right," Addison whispered.

Pete placed another kiss on the back of her hand and kept his eyes closed. "She's safe and she's loved."

"She is. That's what matters."

"It is," he agreed.

"Night, Pete," Addison whispered.

"Night," Pete whispered back softly. "I love you."

"And I love you."

They stayed snuggled close together and soon drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: So, Addison and Abigail are bonding but things won't be that easy, I'm afraid to say.

* * *

><p>A week later, Addison and Abigail sat at the table outside on the decking as they made photo frames together. Abigail stuck her tongue out to the side slightly as she put a shell on the right place and stuck it in tightly. Addison's lips curved into a soft smile as she watched the girl.<p>

"Hmm, I'm not sure this looks good." Abigail wrinkled her nose as she looked down at the frame before she lifted her head and looked at Addison, blushing as she noticed her watching her. "What?" She asked softly.

"You look cute when you stick your tongue out to the side. You look like your dad." Addison couldn't help but tap the girl's nose.

Abigail smiled sheepishly and bit her lip. "I didn't realize."

"Don't stop on my account." Addison smiled, softly.

The girl smiled and looked back down at the frame. "Do you think it looks good like that?"

"I like it."

"Okay then." Abigail nodded and picked up another shell.

"We'll find a photo for it later."

The ten year old nodded again before the sound of the doorbell rang through the house and out onto the patio, making her look up again. "Who's that?"

"I don't know." Addison shook her head. "Your dad will get it."

"Okay." She reached for another shell and stuck it into the corner before looking down at the finished frame in her hands. Addison looked up as she heard footsteps before she saw Pete walk onto the deck with Abigail's grandparents.

"Oh there you are, kid!" Charlene looked at the girl.

"Grandma," Abigail spoke quietly and looked up at her grandparents.

"Let me look at you." The elderly woman walked closer. Abigail hesitated before she stood up so her grandmother could see her. "Hmm, your hair is longer again," Charlene observed. "And have you put on weight?"

"She looks healthy," Addison commented.

"She looked healthy before." Charlene glared at her. "And I'm not talking to you." Addison leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. "We would like to spend some time alone with our granddaughter. That's why we came all the way over here to visit."

"We have things planned. You should have called," Addison commented.

"We don't have to make an appointment to see our own granddaughter," Abigail's grandfather looked at them.

"I'm not saying that you have to, but a call to say you were coming would have been nice." Addison stood from her chair.

"You want to spend some time with us alone, don't you?" Charlene looked at Abigail. Abigail looked up at her grandparents before back at Addison and Pete.

"It's your choice, Abi," Pete reassured her.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"You don't have to." He looked at her. "If you do want to, Addi and I will go inside and we'll be right there if you need anything."

"Of course she wants to spend time with us," Charlene snapped.

"You'll be inside?" Abigail looked at Pete and Addison.

"We will." Addison nodded.

Abigail glanced at her grandmother before she gave a small nod. "Okay," she whispered.

"See, I told you." Charlene looked at them.

"We'll be right there." Pete looked at his daughter and hesitated before he and Addison walked inside. Addison gave a sigh and glanced behind them as they walked into the living room.

"You almost look like you're scared of them, kid." Phil looked at Abigail.

"No." She shook her head. "I'm not."

"You look it." Charlene watched her. "You don't have to be here, you know, you can come back with us." Abigail shook her head and looked down. "All you have to do is tell the woman from social services and you can come home with us."

"I like it here," she spoke quietly.

"Oh, Abigail," Charlene scoffed. "You like it here? Why? Because they buy you nice things and pretend like they care about you?"

"They do care," she whispered and glanced up at her grandmother.

"Oh is that what they tell you? And you are actually stupid enough to believe them? They don't care, Abigail. Or at least they won't care for much longer. They will get tired of you soon and then you'll wish you can come back with us."

Abigail looked between her grandparents and felt the tears build at the back of her eyes.

"You don't belong here, Abigail." Phil looked at her.

"I don't belong anywhere," she whispered, sadly, and looked down.

"You belong with us." Charlene nodded. "And we can take you back home."

"I thought I wasn't allowed with you."

"If you tell the social worker you want to live with us, they might allow you."

"Oh." She nodded slightly.

"Will you tell them?" Charlene urged.

"I don't know."

"You should before they don't want you anymore and you'll be sent somewhere completely different."

Abigail gave a small nod and looked down at the floor.

"All you have to do is tell them the next time they're here and then we'll come and pick you up."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Good." Charlene nodded before she looked at her husband. Abigail toyed with her fingers and stayed quiet.

"Don't tell them about what we talked about, Abigail, do you hear me?" Phil watched the girl.

"Why?" She looked up at him.

"Because they're just going to try to change your mind again and tell you lies."

Abigail looked at her grandparents and gave them an obedient nod.

"Good." Phil nodded as he looked at her before he turned to his wife. "Should we get going?"

"Yes." Charlene nodded. "We have a busy schedule today."

"We'll see you when we come to pick you up." Phil looked at Abigail and then back to Charlene. "Let's go." The ten year old nodded and watched them leave.

* * *

><p>Once Charlene and Phil had left, Pete cooked dinner and the three of them sat in the kitchen together to eat. Abigail barely spoke the entire time and disappeared to her room as soon as she was finished. Addison frowned and turned to Pete as they cleaned up.<p>

He looked back at her, his jaw tensed. "I swear if they did or said anything that upset her, I'm never letting them near her again."

"I know." She nodded. "But we need to stay calm until we know what's wrong."

Pete sighed and looked down at her. "What do we do?"

"Talk to Abigail."

"Do you think she'll talk to us?"

"We can try, can't we?" Addison looked at Pete.

"Yeah." He nodded. "We have to try."

"We need to get her to open up to us more."

"I know, but we can't force her to talk to us."

"I know that, but we can encourage her to talk to us more. Show her that she can trust us."

Pete looked down at Addison before he nodded. "Okay."

"She needs to know that she can trust us and talk to us."

"I know. We've been trying to show her that."

Addison nodded and looked at Pete.

"Let's go check on her, shall we?" He took hold of her hand. She linked their fingers together as they made their way up the stairs. Abigail had closed the door to her room and Pete knocked softly, before slowly opening it. The girl was curled up on her bed with her teddy tightly in her arms.

"Hey," Pete spoke softly as he and Addison walked inside. Abigail glanced up and then buried her head again. "Abi, what's wrong?" They walked closer to her bed. She shook her head and buried it into her pillow more. Pete looked at Addison and gave a small sigh before he sat down on the edge of the bed. "What happened? You can talk to us."

"It's okay, we won't get mad." Addison knelt down on the floor by Abigail's bed. The girl just shook her head as more tears made their way down her cheeks, soaking her pillow. "You can tell us anything, Abi," Addison reassured her. Abigail grasped hold of her teddy tighter and didn't look at them. "It's okay," Addison whispered and gently rubbed the girl's arm.

"Go away," Abigail murmured, barely audible.

"Why?"

The girl shrugged as a sob left her lips and she buried her face even deeper into the pillow.

"Abi, what's wrong?" Addison asked, worried.

"I can't tell you," she whispered between sobs.

"You can tell us anything."

"They...they said I can't."

"Who said?" Addison frowned and looked at Pete.

Pete looked down at Abigail and placed a hand on her side. "Abi, did your grandparents say something that upset you?"

"You can tell us, you don't have to worry. You won't get into trouble."

Another sob left Abigail's lips and she kept a tight hold of the teddy's fur. "I...I don't want to leave," she sniffed. "I...I want to stay here."

"You're not leaving. You've never leaving us. Who says you're leaving?" Addison's eyes went wide. Abigail gave another sniff and turned her head to look at them, her eyes red from all the crying and her cheeks wet from the tears. "Talk to us," Addison whispered.

"Why?" she whispered back.

"Because we care about you and we're worried."

"But grandma said you don't," she whispered and sniffed again. "She...she said you would get tired of me soon and...and you'll send me away."

"What?" Addison nearly yelled.

"Sweetie, you know that that is not true." Pete looked down at his daughter. "We love you."

"We are never, ever, going to send you away." Addison cupped Abigail's cheeks.

"But why did she say that?" More tears rolled down Abigail's face.

"I don't know, sweetie, but that is not true."

"You won't get tired of me and send me away?"

"Of course not." Addison shook her head.

"She wants me to tell the social worker that I want to go live with them." Abigail looked at Pete and Addison.

"Oh." Addison sat back on her heels. "Is that what you want?"

Abigail looked at them before she shook her head slightly. "No," she whispered.

"Then you tell the social worker that you want to stay. You don't have to go and live with them."

"Where do I belong though?" Abigail's eyes glistered with tears again.

"Here with us." Addison's heart broke at Abigail's words.

"Really?" she whispered.

"Really." Addison nodded. Abigail nodded as well and sniffed as she looked at them. Addison turned her head and looked at Pete, sadly. He reached for one of her hands and gave it a soft squeeze.

"They'll be angry," Abigail whispered.

"It's your choice where you want to live." Pete spoke softly.

"I want to stay here," she spoke quietly. "I like it here."

"Then you'll stay here with us. You don't have to worry about them."

"They'll be angry with me for telling."

"If you want to keep seeing them, then Addi and I will talk to them first."

"Do you want to see them again?" Addison asked, softly. "It's your choice."

"I don't know."

"It's okay," Addison whispered. "It's okay."

"Can...can I just..." Abigail trailed off and looked back down at her teddy, playing with its fur.

"Can you what?"

"Can I get a hug?" she spoke quietly and didn't look at them.

"Of course you can." Addison smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Abigail. Abigail buried her face into Addison's neck and grasped hold of her shirt. "It'll be okay," she whispered and looked at Pete.

"It'll be okay," he agreed and placed his hand on their backs. "We're always going to be there for you." Addison reached a hand out for him and linked their fingers together.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Abigail whispered.

"It's what we're here for." Addison gave a small smile.

"We love you. You're our family and we want you here. We always will. Don't ever doubt that." Pete placed a kiss on the top of Abigail's head. The ten year old peeked at them as she cuddled into Addison's side. Pete gave her a soft smile and kept hold of Addison's hand.

"Why don't we have some hot coco with marshmallows and watch a film?" Addison suggested.

"Sounds perfect." Pete nodded.

"What do you think, Abi?"

"I'd like that." She nodded softly.

"Let's go downstairs then."

Abigail nodded again and the three of them got up before they made their way downstairs.


	13. Chapter 13

Pete pushed open the door to the supply closet at work and smiled when he found Addison inside, looking for something.

"There you are." He closed the door behind him.

"Hey." Addison smiled softly and looked over her shoulder at him.

"I've been looking for you." Pete wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"For me?" She leaned back into his chest. "What for?"

"Hmm, do I need a reason?" He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.

"No." Addison smiled and turned her head so he could kiss her on the lips. Pete smiled and closed his eyes as he softly placed his lips on hers. "Hmm," she murmured, softly.

He kissed her tenderly before he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "You don't happen to be free for lunch, do you?"

"Well, I was going to meet this handsomer doctor for lunch. His treat."

"Oh, really?" Pete raised his eyebrow at her.

"Oh yes." She nodded.

"Hmm, I should have known that I'd have to ask a few days in advance for you to squeeze me into your tight schedule."

"I'm afraid you do."

"That's too bad." He ran his hands over her stomach and placed another kiss on her shoulder.

"Hmm, you think so?"

"I do." Pete nodded. "We would have had so much fun."

"That's a shame then." Addison leaned her head back and looked at him.

"Is there nothing I can do to convince you?"

"I don't know. What can you offer me that he can't?"

"First of all, I'm way nicer to look at over lunch." He smiled and kissed her neck.

"Hmm, you think so, do you?"

"I know so," he mumbled softly.

"And why's that?"

"Just look at me." Pete smiled against her skin. "You can't resist me."

"Oh really?" Addison raised an eyebrow as she smiled.

"Mhm." He nodded and brushed her hair away as he placed a kiss behind her ear. She giggled, softly, and turned her head to kiss him. Pete kept one hand on her stomach and cupped her cheek with the other, kissing her back softly.

"I guess I'll have to cancel on my handsome doctor," she murmured.

"I'm your handsome doctor," he mumbled and gently turned her before he wrapped both his arms around her.

"So you are." Addison grinned. Pete smiled against her lips and held her close. "What were your plans for lunch then?" she whispered.

"I was going to take you out."

"I like the sound of that." Addison grinned and kissed his nose.

Pete smiled and took hold of her hands before he linked their fingers together. "Let's go then."

"I'll just grab my bag and we can go."

"Okay." He nodded as they walked out of the supply closet together. "Meet you in the lobby."

* * *

><p>Once Abigail was home from school that afternoon, she made her way into the kitchen to get herself a drink. She opened one of the cupboards above the sink and stood on her tiptoes as she tried to reach one of the glasses. Her fingertips touched the glass and she tried to pull it closer to her. She gave a sigh when she couldn't reach it and lifted herself up on the counter with one hand. As she did, the glass slid from the shelf and smashed onto the floor. The ten year old gasped and her eyes widened as she looked down at the floor. The glass was ruined and in so many pieces. She bit her lip and looked back into the living room before she quickly kneeled down on the floor and tried to collect the pieces. As Abigail picked up a large piece of glass, she cut her hand and gave out a yelp. She looked at her hand and her eyes filled with tears as she saw how deep the cut was and the blood that was streaming out.<p>

"Abi?" Addison called as she heard the commotion. "Is everything alright?"

Abigail's eyes widened as she heard Addison's voice and she got up from the floor.

"Abi?" Addison called again and made her way into the kitchen.

"I...I...I'm so sorry," Abigail stammered and held her hand as she took a few steps back from Addison.

"Have you cut yourself?" Addison stepped closer to the girl and reached out for her hand.

"I didn't mean to drop it, I swear," she apologized and kept hold of her hand.

"Let me take a look at your hand, you're bleeding."

"But the glass." Abigail looked at Addison.

"It doesn't matter. It's just a glass. Let me see to your cut," Addison spoke gently and held her hands out. Abigail looked at Addison before she glanced down at the cut on her hand. "Sit down in a chair and I'll get the first aid kit." She nodded slightly and sat down on one of the chairs, tears making their way down her cheeks.

"Hey, it's okay," Addison reassured Abigail. "It's okay, don't cry."

"It stings," she whispered.

"Okay, I'm going to clean it. It'll sting but try not to flinch, okay?" Addison sat down in a chair opposite the girl.

"Okay." Abigail nodded slightly. Addison got out an anti-septic wipe and gently began to clean the cut. The girl bit her lip tightly and more tears escaped her eyes.

"Nearly cleaned."

Abigail nodded and gave a small sniff as she looked at the cut. Addison took out a plaster and placed it over the cut. "Thank you," she whispered quietly.

"Any time." Addison smiled softly. "Do you want a cuddle?" Abigail looked at her before she gave a small nod. "Come here." Addison held her arms out. Abigail instantly moved into Addison's embrace and rested her head against her shoulder. She placed a kiss on top of the ten year old's head and hugged her close.

"I'm really sorry about the glass," she spoke quietly. "I'll clean it up, I promise."

"Don't worry about the glass. We can replace it. We can't replace you, though."

"You're not even going to yell at me? Or..." Abigail trailed off.

"No. Why would I yell?"

Abigail shrugged softly and kept her head on Addison's shoulder. "No one ever worried about me when I broke something...they'd just yell and...stuff."

"Oh, Abi," Addison whispered. Abigail wiped at her cheek before she wrapped her arm around Addison. "It was just an accident, I'm not angry."

"Thank you," Abigail spoke quietly.

"You don't have to thank me."

"You took care of my hand."

"It's what I'm here for." Addison smiled softly.

"I...I just...I'm...," Abigail sighed and trailed off, now knowing how to say what she wanted to say.

"What?" Addison gently played with Abigail's hair.

"I just...I'm just really glad you're with my dad and...I'm so glad I get to live here and...I'm just so glad I have you," Abigail whispered and she didn't look at Addison as tears glistered in her eyes.

"Aww, Abi." Addison smiled and hugged the girl close. "I'm so glad that you're here." Abigail wrapped her arms tightly around Addison's neck. "You've always got a place with us, always." The ten year old smiled softly and snuggled close to Addison. "Why don't I clean this glass up and then we'll snuggle on the couch?"

"I can help you if you want," she offered.

"No, it's fine." Addison shook her head. "You go get comfortable on the couch."

"Okay." Abigail nodded softly as they got up from the chair. "But don't cut yourself."

"I won't." Addison smiled and got the dust pan and brush to clear the glass up. Abigail gave a smile before she walked into the living room.

Once Addison had cleared all the glass up, she made her way into the living room and sat down next to Abigail.

"When's dad going to be home?" Abigail looked at Addison.

"In a few hours. Missing him already?" Addison smiled softly at the fact that Abigail had settled in with them easier than she had expected.

Abigail smiled sheepishly and gave a small shrug. "Can we watch a movie until he gets home?"

"Of course." Addison nodded and made her way over to the shelf full of DVDs. "What do you fancy watching then?"

"Mamma Mia?"

"Sounds perfect." Her lips curved into a smile as she slipped the disc into the player and joined Abigail once more. Abigail gave a smile and hugged a pillow to her chest as she waited for the movie to start.

* * *

><p>A smile was playing on Pete's lips as he lay in bed that night, watching Addison wander around the room as she got ready for bed.<p>

"What?" she asked and smiled as she saw his eyes on her.

"Nothing." He gave a small shrug and smiled. "I was just thinking how lucky I am."

"You are indeed one very, very lucky man," she agreed as she pulled out a fresh pair of pyjamas before she stripped to her underwear.

"I know." Pete nodded as his eyes wandered down her body. Addison grinned a seductive smile as she slowly dropped her bra from her shoulders. Pete smirked as his eyes dropped from her face to her breasts and he bit his lip softly.

"Like what you see?" She raised an eyebrow and turned to face him full on.

"I do." He smiled. "Very much."

"Good." Addison grinned before she slid her pyjamas onto her body. Pete smiled and watched as she got onto the bed before he reached out for her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Instantly, she snuggled into his arms and let out a contented sigh.

"I love you," he spoke softly as he buried his face into her neck and placed a few kisses there

"Hmm, and I love you." She grinned and closed her eyes. Pete smiled and planted a few more kisses on her skin before he pulled back and breathed in the scent of her hair. Addison turned her head and looked up at him, happily.

"We have the cake tasting tomorrow after work, don't we?" He looked back down at her and brushed some hair from her face.

"Hmm." She nodded and a few locks of her red hair fell over her shoulder and onto his bare chest.

"Hmm, okay." He smiled and leaned down to take her bottom lip between his softly. Addison let her eyes flutter closed as she tenderly began to kiss him back. Pete slowly ran his hands over her back and side as they kissed softly.

The sound of footsteps was heard along the landing before their bedroom door was slowly pushed open and Abigail peeked inside. The two of them pulled away at the sound of the door and turned to look at the ten year old.

"Hey." Addison smiled softly at the girl. "Can't settle?"

"I, erm." Abigail looked at them. "Is it a bad time?"

"No, of course not." Addison shook her head and shifted her position so she could see Abigail better.

"I wanted to ask you something." She hesitated as she looked at them before she slowly walked closer. The couple gave a nod and watched as Abigail walked closer to the bed and fiddled with her fingers.

"What is it?" Pete gave her an encouraging smile.

"Erm, well," the girl started and glanced down.

"You can ask us anything." They watched her.

"I wondered if it would be okay if my friends stayed for a night," Abigail murmured and didn't look at them, afraid of their answer.

Pete glanced down at Addison before he looked back at Abigail and smiled softly. "Of course that would be okay."

"There's no problem with that," Addison agreed and nodded. "You can all sleep in the living room and ordered pizza. Rent a few DVDs as well if you wanted to."

Abigail lifted her head and looked at them surprised. "R-really?"

"Of course." Addison smiled. "It would give us a chance to meet your friends as well. Sleepovers are an important part of being a girl."

"There would be like...four of us though." Abigail looked at them.

"That's fine. What would four more girls be, really" Addison grinned and glanced at her fiancée.

"I'm already used to it." Pete smiled.

"When did you want them to stay?" Addison asked. "This weekend is free."

"I'll ask them tomorrow if they can do this weekend."

"Okay." Addison smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." Abigail smiled at them.

"No problem."

Abigail smiled at them and hesitated before she quickly crawled in between them on the bed and wrapped an arm around each of them, giving them a hug. Both Addison and Pete hugged Abigail close to them as they all lay together.

"Thank you," Abigail whispered, a grin on her lips. "I've never had a sleepover before."

"Never?" Addison looked at the girl, shocked. The smile faded from Abigail's face and she shook her head sheepishly. "Well, then that gives you even more reason to have this sleepover." Abigail nodded before she slowly pulled back and sat up to get off the bed again. "You can stay for a cuddle if you want to," Addison offered.

"I don't want to bother you." She looked at them unsure.

"Having a cuddle with us is never bothering us." Addison gave a soft smile.

"Come here." Pete held an arm out to her. Abigail snuggled down under the covers in between them and gave a soft smile.

"I'm not too old to like cuddles, am I?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not." Addison shook her head and smiled.

"Good." Abigail smiled softly. Addison placed a gentle kiss on the top of the girl's head as they snuggled a little closer to Pete. He smiled softly and wrapped an arm around both of them.

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><p>Just some cute fluff for you guys :) Such a cute family, aren't they?<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

That weekend the house buzzed with the excited chatter of four ten year old girls as they tried to decide what pizza to order. They were all sat on the couch in the living room, the phone on the table next to them as they went through the pizza menu. Addison and Pete were in the kitchen and couldn't help but smile at the fact that Abigail looked happy with her friends.

"I didn't think she would make friends so quickly," Pete spoke quietly as they watched them.

"Nor me," Addison whispered. "I'm glad she has, though. It'll do her the world of good."

"It will." Pete nodded and smiled softly.

"They all seem like nice girls as well."

"They really do," he agreed. "I'm just glad she's enjoying herself."

"I think it's safe to say that tomorrow Abi won't be doing much." Addison smiled softly and looked at Pete.

"Probably." He smiled back at her.

"I hate to go in and disturb them from their chatter. I've never realised how noisy and excited they can be," Addison admitted and watched the girls again. "It's nice, though. It gives more of a homely feel to the place."

"We're going to have a few more kids and it'll be like this all the time." Pete smiled.

"I hope so. I don't want Abi to be an only child her whole life." She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"She won't be," he promised and kissed her back softly.

"Good." Addison smiled happily. Pete smiled back and placed another kiss on her lips. "How much longer do you think it'll take them to decide on a pizza?"

* * *

><p>Later that night with an empty pizza box sitting on the coffee table next to them, the four girls had each found a comfortable place on the couch and futon in the living room as they watched movies. Addison made her way down the stairs and smiled softly at the girls as she made her way into the kitchen.<p>

"Do you think your mum would mind if we had a hot chocolate each?" One of the girls looked at Abigail.

"No." Abigail shook her head. "She's probably gone to make her and dad one to share."

"Call and ask her?" Lisa smiled sweetly.

"Erm…sure…" Abigail hesitated and glanced into the kitchen.

"M-mum," she called, quietly. Addison hadn't heard her call and Lisa nudged her friend to call again. "Erm, mum?" Abigail called louder.

Addison looked up slightly shocked and looked back into the living room. "Yes?"

"Would you mind making us some hot chocolate as well?" Abigail looked at her.

Addison raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Cheeky. Did you all want a mug each?"

"Please." Abigail smiled.

"Come and help me then." Addison turned back into the kitchen and pulled out four more mugs. Abigail nodded and put the bowl of popcorn aside before she got up and walked into the kitchen. "Enjoying your night?" Addison asked as the kettle clicked to signal that the water had boiled.

"Yeah." Abigail nodded again and gave a smile.

"Good, I'm glad." Addison smiled as well. Abigail smiled back and opened the cupboard to get marshmallows out. "I'm really happy for you, Abi."

"Happy for me?" Abigail turned to look at her.

"Yes." Addison nodded as she poured the hot water into the mugs. "You've settled in here so easily and made some great friends."

"I wouldn't have settled in if it wasn't for you and dad," she spoke quietly as she added marshmallows into the cups. Addison grinned and wrapped her arms tightly around the ten year old and hugged her close. Abigail smiled surprised, and hugged Addison back. Addison kissed the top of Abigail's head before she pulled back and finished making the drinks.

"Thank you." Abigail smiled softly as she put the cups on a tray so she could carry them inside. Addison smiled as she watched Abigail walk back in before she picked up her large mug of hot chocolate to share with Pete and made her way back upstairs.

"There you go." Abigail smiled as she put the tray down on the coffee table.

"Marshmallows too." Jenny grinned and reached for a mug.

"We always put them in." Abigail smiled and took her own mug before sitting back down

"My mum never does." Lisa sighed and took a sip.

"It's better with marshmallows."

"I wish my mum was like yours," Rachel, whined.

"Why?" Abigail looked at her friend.

"Because your mum lets you have sleepovers, she takes you shopping, she makes you hot chocolate with marshmallows, lets you order pizza and rent films to watch."

"Oh." Abigail smiled softly. "Yeah, she's pretty awesome."

"Can we swap mums?" Rachel asked, hopefully.

"No." She shook her head.

"Okay." Rachel sighed again.

"I don't even know your mum," Abigail pointed out. "Plus, I want to keep mine."

"Can we at least share her?"

"How would we share my mum?"

Rachel shrugged and sipped on her hot drink as she thought about it. Abigail smiled and picked a marshmallow out of her cup before eating it.

"My parents are going on holiday in a few weeks time and I have to spend the week at my grandparents," Lisa grumbled.

"Why aren't you going with them?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"I'd love to go on holiday somewhere," Jenny sighed.

"If only we were old enough to go alone," Rachel whined.

"I feel like last summer is ages ago," Lisa agreed with them. "I want to go away again."

Abigail listened to her friends and wished that she could talk about a time where she had been on holiday. Anna had never thought much to take Abigail anywhere.

"Do you have plans for the summer with your parents?" Lisa looked at her.

"Erm, I don't know." Abigail shrugged.

"We're going to Europe." Jenny grinned.

"Oh my god, I'm so jealous!" Rachel looked at her friend, shocked. "That's so not fair." Abigail sat and sipped on her hot chocolate as she watched them.

"I really want to go on holiday now." Lisa sighed.

"Shall we watch another movie?" Abigail turned back to the TV. The girls agreed and they all settled on another movie.

* * *

><p>Later that night when the girls decided to call it a night Abigail quietly sneaked upstairs to say goodnight to Addison and Pete. Pete was already asleep and snoring loudly while Addison was curled next to him with a book in her hands.<p>

The then year old quietly pushed open the door and peeked inside. "Hey," she whispered quietly.

"Hey." Addison looked up and smiled.

"We're going to sleep." Abigail walked into the room.

"That's okay. Everyone comfortable down there? Don't need any extra blankets or anything?" Addison closed her book and placed it on her nightstand.

"No, we're fine." She shook her head.

"Good." Addison smiled softly.

"Just wanted to say goodnight." She gave a smile and walked closer to the bed.

"That's okay. I'd quite like a goodnight seeing as your dad fell asleep about two hours ago and has been snoring since."

Abigail looked at Pete and giggled softly.

"It's alright; I'll kick him in a minute." Addison grinned, wickedly.

The ten year old giggled again and watched her dad before turning back to Addison. "Poor him."

"It's what he gets for snoring." Addison turned her head to look at Pete and kicked him. "Pete, wake up."

"Huh? What?" He sat up slightly and blinked around him confused.

"Abi has come to say goodnight to us and you're laying there snoring away." Addison raised an eyebrow at him.

"I fell asleep." Pete ran a hand over his face tiredly.

"I know. I had to listen to your snores for the past two hours."

"Sorry," he mumbled as he sat up further and looked at them.

"Night, dad." Abigail smiled softly.

"Night, sweetie." Pete gave a smile before he held his hands out. "Give me a hug." The ten year old climbed over the bed and fell into Pete's arms. "You're good down there?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around his daughter. Abigail nodded and snuggled into him. "Good." Pete smiled softly and placed a kiss on her hair.

"Night, dad." Abigail smiled as well and sat up. "Don't snore too loudly," she laughed.

"I'll try not to." He smiled back.

"Good." She grinned and climbed off the bed. Abigail slipped into her slippers before she turned to hug Addison as well.

"Night, Abi." Addison gently kissed the girl's head.

"Night, mum," the ten year old whispered quietly and buried her face into Addison's neck. Addison smiled widely and hugged the girl close. Abigail tightened her arms around her before she pulled back slowly.

"We're right up here if you need us."

"I know." Abigail nodded and smiled softly as she made her way to the door. "Night."

"Sleep well." Addison and Pete smiled softly as they watched her.

"Did she just call you mum?" Pete smiled and pulled Addison closer once Abigail had closed the door behind her.

"Yes." She grinned and turned over to face him. Pete smiled and looked down at his fiancée. Addison snuggled into his side and kissed him, lovingly.

"I love you," he breathed and placed a hand on her cheek as he kissed her back.

"And I love you, so much," she whispered. Pete smiled and held her close to him. "I am so happy."

"You have no idea how happy that makes me."

Addison smiled and happily kissed him again.

Pete closed his eyes and kissed her back lovingly. "I can't believe she calls you mum."

"Neither can I."

"She's settled in so well." He smiled.

"She really has." Addison nodded.

Pete smiled softly and looked down into Addison's eyes. "I can never thank you enough for doing this with me in the first place."

"You don't have to thank me." She shook her head.

"You're the most amazing woman I have ever met." He pecked her lips.

"I know." Addison grinned. Pete smirked and rolled his eyes at her. "Now, no more snoring now, please." She pecked his lips again.

"You'll kick me awake anyway."

"Oh, I will." She nodded and snuggled into him as she gave a yawn.

Pete smiled and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Night, Addi. Love you."

"Night, I love you."

* * *

><p>Ah, so it was just a little bit of fluff really for you guys :) More bonding between Addison and Abigail. Can't resist that now! As always, reviews are much love.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: So, everything has been going smooth for a while here. It's time that some drama happened...

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><p>After that weekend, Addison had to work a little late so Pete left early to pick Abigail up from school. He was stood next to his car in front of Abigail's school and tried to see her in the crowd of students as they left the building. His lips curved into a frown as the crowd dispersed and there was so sign of her. He waited for a few more minutes before he got his phone out and dialled Addison's number.<p>

"_Hello?"_ She answered after the fifth ring.

"Hey, it's me. You said she finished at half past four, didn't you?" he asked and tried to keep the panic out of his voice

"_Yes." _Addison frowned at his question._ "That's the time the school closes. She always finishes at half past four. Why?"_

"Because she hasn't come out yet."

"_Oh."_ Addison felt her heart drop. _"Are any of her friends there?"_

"No." Pete shook his head. "I'll walk in and see if I find someone to ask."

"_Okay. Call me after."_

"I will." He nodded before he hung up and walked towards the building. He walked inside and found Abigail's teacher who smiled at him. "Mrs. Meyer." Pete walked closer to her. "I'm here to pick up Abigail but I can't find her anywhere."

"She hasn't been in since lunch." Mrs. Meyer stopped and turned to him.

"Lunch?" Pete looked at the teacher and felt his eyes widen. "Why not?"

"She said she was ill and was going home."

"You can't just let her leave school without calling us. She's ten years old." Pete looked at the woman and could feel the anger bubbling inside of him.

"I thought you had been called and was waiting for her." Her voice was apologetic.

"Well, we haven't. I have no idea where she is." His tone became sharp and irritated.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Wilder, but if I knew you hadn't been informed I wouldn't have let her go."

"Did she say where she was going to go? Home or to the practice?"

"No." Mrs. Meyer shook her head. "She just said she was going."

Pete sighed before he turned and walked out of the school building. He hoped that Abigail would be at home. He quickly made his way towards his car before he got in to drive home.

As soon as he pulled into the drive he jumped out and unlocked the front door before he rushed inside. But he found it to be empty. Instantly, he reached for his phone and called Addison again.

"_Hey, did you find her?"_ she asked before he could even open his mouth.

"I talked to her teacher. Abi left school early because she felt ill. I just drove home but the house is empty."

"_What? If she's ill one of us should have been called to pick her up!"_

"I know that's what I said to her teacher."

"_Okay, I'll leave now and look for her. Maybe she was on her way here to the practice."_

"Okay." Pete nodded. "I'll drive around the areas close to the house."

"_Call me if you see her and I'll do the same."_ Addison stood up from her desk and grabbed her bag as she made her way out to the car park.

Both of them got into their cars and started looking for the ten year old. They drove around all the places that they thought she might be. Half an hour passed and neither of them had seen her anywhere.

"Oh, Abi, where are you?" Addison could feel the tears burn the back of her eyes but she blinked them back as she drove along. She had no idea where else she could look for her and just drove along aimlessly.

"Where are you?" She turned down a road and glanced at the small park on her left. She let her eyes travel over the people in there and tried to see anyone that could be Abigail. "You've got to be here, you just have to."

The park was only a few blocks away from the practice and the chances were that Abigail had passed it on her way. Addison slowed the car down and dropped a gear as she searched for the young girl in the crowd of people. Her eyes wandered over every single bench until they fell on a small figure sat with her back to Addison on one of them, facing the ocean.

"Abi," Addison whispered and instantly stopped the car before she got out. It was only then that she noticed someone standing in front of the girl, looking at her. Panic spread through her body and she began to run towards the bench. The person stood next to Abigail looked like a middle aged guy and she could see Abigail backing away from him.

"Abi!" Addison called and slowed down as she got towards the bench.

Abigail's head shot up instantly as she heard her voice. "Mum."

"Oh God." Addison sighed relieved and held her arms out to the girl. Tears were streaming down Abigail's face and she jumped up and right into Addison's arms. "Shh, shh, it's okay, I'm here, I'm here," Addison soothed and hugged the girl as close as possible.

"I...I was so scared mum," she sniffed and buried her face into Addison's chest.

"Shh, it's okay, you're safe now, you're safe," Addison whispered and closed her eyes.

"I just...I...I couldn't find the practice," Abigail began to stutter. "And...then I sat down here and this...this guy tried to make me go with him."

"It's okay, Abi, you're safe now. You don't have to worry." Addison looked up at the guy and realised she had never felt so protective before. He was looking at them before he slowly took a few steps back. "Can I help you?" Addison asked.

"I was just trying to help her."

"Help her? By trying to make her go with you?"

"Maybe you should take better care of her."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Addison snapped. "You're the one trying to get a ten year old girl to go god knows where with you when she's lost."

"Mum, can we just go please." Abigail grasped hold of Addison's shirt.

"Stay the hell away from my daughter," Addison warned the guy. Abigail looked up at Addison and kept a tight hold of her shirt, staying as close to her as possible. "Come on," Addison whispered to Abigail before they turned and made their way to the car. By the time Abigail got into the passenger seat she was still sniffling, tears rolling down her cheeks. Addison looked at her before she reached out and wiped away the tears.

"I…I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Why did you leave, Abi?" Addison asked, softly.

"I wasn't feeling so well." Abigail shrugged. "The woman at the reception said she'd call you and I waited but then she forgot about me and I...I just left."

"You can't just leave school without either your dad or I knowing. Anything could happen to you. We had no idea where you were. We were so worried."

"I know." She looked down.

"You really scared us, Abigail." Addison looked at the ten year old. "You can't go off somewhere and not tell us."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I thought I knew how to get to the practice."

"Promise me that you'll never do that again."

"I promise." She nodded slightly and glanced up at Addison.

"Come here." Addison held her arms out again.

Abigail leaned forward and rested her head against Addison's chest. "I'm really sorry," she sniffed again.

"It's okay, you're safe now and you're never going to do it again." She dropped a kiss on top of the ten year old's head before she reached for her phone.

"I thought I'd never find you again," Abigail whispered while Addison dialled Pete's number.

"We'll always find you," Addison promised as she held the phone to her ear.

_"Please tell me you found her."_ Pete picked up after the first ring.

"I've found her." Addison nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "She was at the park near the practice. We're just about to leave to come home now."

_"Thank God she's alright,"_ he sighed relieved._ "I'll meet you there, okay?"_

"We'll see you in ten." Addison hung up and looked down at Abigail.

"Is he mad at me?" Abigail bit her lip and glanced up at Addison.

"No." She shook her head. "He's relieved that you're alright." Abigail nodded slightly and wiped at her eyes. "Come on, let's get you home." Addison turned the key in the ignition before she pulled away and drove them home.

By the time they pulled up in their driveway Abigail had calmed down, but as soon as Pete opened the door to them the tears started falling once more. Abigail rushed over to Pete instantly and clung to him while Addison got out the car and watched father and daughter embrace.

"God, you have no idea how worried I was about you." Pete hugged Abigail close and pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"I'm so sorry," the ten year old whispered and squeezed her eyes shut as the tears continued to fall.

"Just never do that again, Abi." He held her tightly.

"I won't. I promise." Abigail shook her head.

"Good." Pete nodded and dropped another kiss on her hair.

"Come on, let's go inside," Addison spoke softly. The three of them walked into the house together and Pete closed the door behind them.

That night, after Abigail had taken a bath and made her way into bed, Addison popped her head round the door to make sure she was alright. The ten year old gave a small smile as she saw her looking at her and pulled her covers over her legs.

"How are you feeling now?" Addison asked and walked further into the room.

"Okay." Abigail nodded slightly.

"Good." Addison nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. "If you feel ill tomorrow at school, don't leave without either your dad or I there to pick you up, okay?"

"I won't," she promised.

"Good." Addison smiled softly. Abigail gave a smile back before she looked down at the sheets she played with. "Is everything okay?"

"Fine." She gave a small nod.

"You sure?"

"I just..." Abigail hesitated and didn't look up at her. "It's just...when you talked to this guy today, you...you called me your daughter."

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it just slipped out."

"Did...did you mean it though?" She glanced up at her.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't." Addison looked at Abigail, honestly.

"Really?" Abigail whispered.

"Really." She nodded. "I know things are hard. I know I'm not your mother, but I'd like to be that figure for you, Abi."

"You are," she spoke quietly.

"I am?"

"You're more of a mum to me than...than anyone else has ever been." Abigail looked down at her hands. Addison smiled softly and watched the girl. "Do...do you mind me calling you mum?" Abigail looked up at her again. "I know I should have asked your first but I didn't know how to and then when the girls were over it just slipped and I just continued to call you it and I...I didn't even ask you if it's okay," she rambled.

"It's fine." Addison cupped the girl's face.

"You don't mind?" She looked at her.

"No. To be honest, I love it."

"Really?" A smile tugged on the corner of her lips.

"Really." Addison smiled as well and nodded.

"You'll be my mum?" Abigail smiled softly.

"If you want me to."

"I do." She nodded quickly. "I want you to be my mum."

"Then I'd love to."

Abigail beamed at her before she moved forward and tightly wrapped her arms around Addison's neck. Addison hugged the girl back tightly and kissed the side of her head.

"I'm so glad I have you and dad," Abigail whispered softly.

"And we're so glad that we have you."

Abigail smiled softly before she slowly pulled back.

"You get some sleep now. You know where we are if you need us." Addison leaned forward and kissed the girl's forehead. The ten year old nodded before she lay down. "Sleep well," Addison whispered before she stood up and made her way from the room. She quietly closed the door behind her before she walked over to her and Pete's bedroom.

"Hey." She smiled softly at Pete who was in the middle of changing.

"Hey." He glanced at her and smiled back softly as he unbuttoned his pants.

"I'm exhausted." She gave a yawn.

"Hmm, too bad." Pete smiled as he pulled his pants down and took them off.

"I had all these visions of her lying in a ditch today," she admitted as she began to change as well.

"I know." The smile faded from his lips and he nodded slightly.

"I thought we'd never see her again."

"She's fine though." Pete reached for his pyjama bottoms before he put them on.

"She is, thank god." Addison nodded and slipped into her nightgown. Pete nodded as well and put his clothes aside before he walked over to her so he could wrap his arms around her. She buried her face into his chest and gave a sigh.

"We found her," he spoke softly and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"We did," she agreed. "She's safe now."

"She is." Pete nodded and tightened his arms around her, breathing in her scent. Addison gave another sigh and closed her eyes. "She's safe and we're not going to lose her."

"Never. We're always going to protect her."

"It's our job." He nodded and kissed the side of her head. Addison nodded as well and looked up at him. Pete gave her a soft smile and brushed some hair from her face.

"Let's go to bed," she whispered. He nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead before he let go of her and walked to his side of the bed. They pulled the covers back and climbed in before they snuggled down. Pete laid an arm around her and looked up at the ceiling after they switched off the lights.

"She wants me to be her mum," Addison whispered.

"Of course she does." He gave a smile. "You're an amazing mother."

"You think so?" She looked at him.

"I know so." Pete nodded.

"I'm glad you think so." Addison smiled softly. Pete gave a smile and looked back up at the ceiling. "What are you thinking about?" she whispered.

"Nothing." He shook his head.

"Really?"

"Really." He gave a small smile. "Nothing in particular."

"You know you can tell me."

"It's nothing." Pete looked down at her. "I'm just really glad she's okay. She's our daughter and if anything ever happened to either of you I'd never forgive myself." Addison nodded and watched his face. He looked back down at her and gave a smile.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I know you do," he spoke quietly. "I love you too." Addison snuggled into his side and rested her head on his chest as she closed her eyes to sleep. "Sleep well," Pete whispered and buried his face into her hair.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: As much as we know you guys love the bonding between Addison and Abigail, you must know by now we're not going to let it go _that_ smoothly, right?

Also, to help solve the whole uploading all of our stories issue, Nina, username saci on here the link to her profile is on my profile, is uploading some of our newer stories as well. Please, go check them out :)

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><p>Just over a week later, Abigail was sat upstairs in her room, doing homework, when she heard the front door open and close. She smiled relieved and got up from her chair before she made her way downstairs. Addison threw her bag down onto a chair and made her way into the kitchen.<p>

"Hey." Abigail smiled cheerfully as she walked into the kitchen to greet Addison.

"Oh, hey, Abi." Addison glanced at the girl as she got a glass out of the cupboard.

"Isn't dad coming home yet?" The ten year old watched her.

"Not yet." She shook her head as she turned the tap on and watched the water fill the glass. "He's got a patient."

"Oh, okay." Abigail nodded and gave a smile.

"What do you want for dinner?" Addison asked before she took a long, slow sip on her water. She closed her eyes as she felt the cool liquid run down her throat.

"I don't mind." Abigail shrugged. "I got this maths homework today and I tried to do it but I don't think it's right. Can you help me later? But can we have dinner first because I haven't eaten since lunch and I'm starving." She smiled sweetly.

"It's too early for dinner right now. Have some fruit if you're hungry." Addison placed her empty glass down on the side and opened a cupboard to see what she could make for dinner.

"It's already half past five," Abigail tried as she glanced at the clock.

"It's still too early. Your dad won't have even left yet."

"Can I make myself a sandwich instead?"

"No. Have some fruit." Addison pointed to the bowl as she pulled out some lasagne sheets and checked the date on them.

"I don't feel like fruit, I'll just wait till dinner."

"Okay then." She nodded and checked to see if they had all the ingredients to have a lasagne.

"When can you help me with my homework?" Abigail watched her.

"Not right now, later." Addison put the sheets back in the cupboard with a sigh. They didn't have much to make a lasagne.

"Okay." Abigail nodded slightly and gave a smile. Addison gave one nod and made her way over to the fridge to inspect its contents. "Do we need to go shopping?" Abigail watched. "If we did we could get ice cream for desert."

"I'm too tired to go shopping tonight. We'll just have to order in."

"Pizza?"

"I don't know. We'll see." Addison turned to look at the girl.

"If we order from that one Pizza place we can have ice cream as well because they deliver it too."

"Abi, I said we'll see," Addison spoke sternly.

"Okay." She gave a small nod. "Can we do my maths homework in the meanwhile so I'm finished by the time dad gets home?"

"Not yet, Abi."

"When do you have time?"

"I said later. I thought you wanted to eat first?" Addison looked at Abigail as she made her way into the living room.

"That was when I thought we'd eat now." Abigail followed her.

"I said it's too early to eat. We're waiting for your dad." Addison picked up her bag and fished around inside for her phone.

"I know." She nodded.

"Damn it," Addison cursed, unable to find her phone.

"What's wrong?" Abigail watched her.

"Nothing is wrong." She began to pull the contents out of her bag to find her phone sat at the very bottom of her bag. "Great," she murmured.

"What's that?" Abigail picked up a little box that was in Addison's bag and turned it in her hand.

"Just leave it alone, Abi." Addison reached out for the box. The smile that had been plastered on Abigail's face slowly faded from her lips and she gave a small nod as she gave Addison the box back. Addison took the box and began to shove everything back into her bag. The ten year old watched her quietly and didn't say anything.

"Have you finished all your homework?" Addison asked as she checked her phone.

"Everything but maths."

"Have you at least attempted your maths?" Addison looked up from her phone, briefly.

"I tried to do it but I don't think it's right."

"Well, go and attempt it first before I help you." Irritation was evident in Addison's voice as she picked up her bag and began to make her way up the stairs.

"I did attempt it." Abigail turned and watched her.

"Good." She nodded.

"I already told you that."

"Abi, don't talk to me like that," Addison snapped. Abigail's face fell and she instinctively took a step back, even though Addison was already on the stairs. "Just, find something to do until your dad gets home." Addison turned and continued her way up the stairs. Abigail looked down on the floor and gave a small nod.

* * *

><p>Addison was sat on the couch with her laptop in front of her as Pete arrived home. He put his bag down in the hallway and gave a tired smile as he walked into the living room.<p>

"Hey, stranger."

"Hey," she replied but didn't look up. Pete looked at her and walked further into the room. "How was your day?" she asked without any enthusiasm.

"Busy, yours?"

"Could have been better."

"What's wrong?" Pete sat down next to her.

"Just a bitchy patient," she sighed and looked at him. "I snapped at Abi."

"Why?" He looked back at her.

"She kept asking me to help her with her maths homework and if she could have ice cream after dinner."

"Oh." Pete nodded slowly. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs. I told her to find something to do with her time."

"Has she done her homework yet?"

"Yes." Addison nodded.

Pete nodded slightly and looked at Addison. "What are we having for dinner?"

"We'll have to order in."

"What do you feel like? Chinese? Pizza?"

"I'm not really hungry," she admitted. "Abi wanted pizza, though."

"I'll go check on her." Pete got up from the couch again. Addison nodded and watched him walk up the stairs.

He made his way along the hallway until he reached Abigail's room and knocked softly on the door. The ten year old looked up from where she lay on her bed to look at her father.

"Hey, sweetie." Pete gave a soft smile. "How are you?" Abigail shrugged and looked at him. He gave a small sigh and walked further into the room. "Are you hungry? We're going to order in." She gave a small shrug again. "What's wrong, baby?" Pete sat down at the edge of the bed and looked at her.

"Nothing," she whispered.

"But there is, I can tell."

Abigail shrugged and hugged her teddy close to her.

"You can tell me." Pete brushed some hair from her face.

"She yelled at me," Abigail whispered and tried not to cry.

"She didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Abi," he spoke softly.

"But she yelled."

"She's had a busy day and she's tired. I know that's not an excuse but I know that she didn't mean it."

The ten year old hugged her teddy again and looked down. Anna had always yelled at her. She thought Addison was different.

"She loves you, Abi, and she'd never want to hurt you." Pete gently stroked her hair.

"Can we have dinner now?" she asked, quietly. "I'm hungry."

"Of course. Pizza and ice cream?" He smiled softly. Abigail nodded and watched him. Pete leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead before sitting back up. "Want to come downstairs so we can order?"

"Okay," she whispered and stood up from her bed.

"Come on then." He placed a hand on her back as they walked out of the room and down into the living room. Addison had a concentrated look on her face as she typed away on her laptop. "Do you want your own Pizza, Addison?" Pete asked as he picked up the phone.

"Erm, I don't mind." She shook her head.

"I'll order two then," he sighed. Addison gave a small nod and continued to type. "What toppings do you want, Abi?" Pete looked at his daughter.

"Mushrooms and sweet corn?" she asked, quietly.

"Sounds good." He gave her a smile before he ordered their pizzas.

Twenty minutes later, their pizzas arrived and they began to eat, hungrily. Pete sat on the couch next to Abigail and watched her out of the corner of his eyes as he ate. Once they had finished, Abigail toyed with her fingers, nervously, and looked at him.

"Everything okay, sweetie?" Pete gave her a smile. "Are you still hungry?"

"Erm…dad…" she began to stutter.

"What is it?" He watched her.

"Could you erm…can you…if you have time… help me with my maths?" she asked quietly and looked down.

Pete frowned slightly and glanced at Addison before he looked back at Abigail. "Of course I have time. We can do it right now." Addison had stopped what she was doing and glanced at the two of them. "Do you want to go upstairs?" He looked at her. Abigail gave a small nod before they made their way upstairs. They sat down at Abigail's desk together before she showed him her homework.

"I've done this." She showed him a piece of paper. "But I don't know if it's right."

Pete looked at it for a minute before he nodded. "See what you did there?" He pointed. Abigail nodded and looked where he pointed to. "Yeah, you can't do that." He took hold of her pen. "You have to do it like this." The ten year old watched and listened as Pete explained to her how to solve the sums.

* * *

><p>"Are you coming?" Pete asked as he got up from the couch after he turned off the TV later that night.<p>

"Yeah." Addison nodded. "I'll be up in a minute."

"Okay." He nodded as well and looked down at her with her laptop still in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"Just tired." She nodded.

"Are you sure?" Pete watched her.

"Pete, I'm fine, honestly." She gave a small smile. "I'll be there in a minute don't worry."

"Okay." He nodded slightly, still not convinced.

"I'll be up in a few minutes and then we'll have a cuddle and I'll be completely fine again, okay?" Addison pushed some hair from her face and looked at him.

"Okay." Pete nodded again before he slowly turned around and made his way upstairs. Addison let out a sigh before she closed her laptop down, turned the lights off and made her way up the stairs as well. She made her way towards her and Pete's bedroom but stopped when she walked past Abigail's door. Instead of turning right into the master bedroom, Addison turned left and knocked softly before she stepped into the ten year olds room. Abigail had already turned off the light on her nightstand and was lying on her side, her back towards Addison.

"Abi?" Addison whispered softly. The ten year old curled into a tighter ball and didn't say anything. "I'm sorry, baby," Addison whispered and walked closer to the bed to kiss the girl's forehead. "I didn't mean to snap at you." She brushed some hair from Abigail's face. Abigail glanced up at her and cradled her teddy close to her chest. "I didn't mean to wake you," Addison spoke softly and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You didn't," she spoke quietly.

"I'm really sorry, Abi, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You didn't deserve it."

"It's okay," Abigail whispered barely audible and looked down at her teddy.

"No, it's not." Addison shook her head. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. The last thing I want to do is upset you, Abi." Abigail shrugged and softly played with the fur. "Can you forgive me, baby?" Addison asked and titled her head.

"Parents yell at their kids all the time," she whispered and looked down at her fingers.

"But they _shouldn't_, _I_ shouldn't have. It was wrong of me. I was tired and bitchy."

Abigail shrugged again and her eyes involuntarily filled with tears.

"Hey, come here, don't cry." Addison wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her close. "Shh, shh," she soothed. The ten year old began to sob quietly and her hands grasped at the teddy's fur. "Shh, shh, I'm so sorry, baby, I'm so sorry," Addison whispered as she felt her own tears spring to her eyes. Abigail sniffed and lifted a hand to wipe at her eyes.

"I'm sorry, baby," Addison whispered and squeezed her eyes closed as she hugged the girl close.

"I'm okay," Abigail whispered shakily and pulled back so she could lie back down.

"Really?" Addison looked at the ten year old and her arms suddenly felt empty. Abigail gave a shrug and tightened her arms around her teddy that was pressed close against her chest. "You can talk to me, Abi," she spoke, quietly.

"About what?" she murmured barely audible.

"Anything. You can talk to me about anything. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm so sorry. Really, I am." Addison looked at Abigail, sincerely.

"Okay," Abigail whispered and looked at her teddy.

"Do you want to talk to me?" Addison asked, softly. The ten year old shrugged and wiped at her eyes. "I'm always here if you want to talk." Addison reached out and brushed some hair from Abigail's face.

"Just not after work?" she asked, quietly.

"No, anytime, Abi. You can talk to me anytime. I shouldn't have snapped. It was wrong of me. I'm so sorry, baby."

Abigail gave a small nod and briefly closed her eyes.

"I didn't mean to snap," Addison whispered, ashamed. The ten year old nodded again and looked down. "I'm going to make it up to you, I promise."

"I'm used to it," Abigail whispered as quietly as she could and didn't look at her.

"But you shouldn't be used to it. I shouldn't have snapped. I will make it up to you, I promise. You deserve so much better." Addison cupped the girl's face. "I love you, Abi." Abigail looked back at her with watery eyes and gave a small nod. "I'm so sorry," Addison whispered, again.

"Okay," Abigail whispered.

"I'll pick you up from school tomorrow and I'll make it up to you, okay?"

Abigail nodded and didn't say anything.

"I'm so sorry, baby." Addison cupped the girl's face and kissed her forehead. The ten year old gave one more nod before she buried her face into the pillow and closed her eyes. "Night," Addison whispered and made her way into the master bedroom.

Pete was sat on his side with a book on his lap and looked up at her as she walked inside.

"I've ruined everything," she whispered and crawled into bed.

"She'll come around." He put his book down and held a hand out to her.

"She hates me now. She actually hates me." She snuggled into his side instantly.

"Abi loves you, Addi." Pete dropped a kiss on her head and held her close.

"No." She shook her head.

"Yes she does." He nodded. "You're her mum and she loves you, no matter what."

"She hates me now. She's withdrawing. She won't talk to me."

"It wasn't a good time for you to snap at her like that, but she'll come around. Just give her a while."

"I shouldn't have snapped," she sighed.

"You can't undo it now."

"No, but I can make up for it."

"You can and you will," he agreed. "You two will be fine."

"I hope so," she spoke, quietly. "I don't want to be anything like Anna. I want Abi to know that I love and respect her."

"Tell her that," Pete whispered softly. "When she's ready to talk you tell her that."

Addison gave a small nod and snuggled closer as she buried her face. "Am I really a good person to be Abi's mum?" she whispered.

"A good person?" Pete looked down at her. "You're the perfect person, Addison. The _only_ one. You're her mum and she is so lucky to have you."

"Really? Is there not someone better out there who won't snap at her for no reason?"

"No." He shook his head. "We're her parents and we'll have those little fights with her for the rest of our lives, but we'll always be okay, Addi."

"Her face when I snapped...she looked so crestfallen. She was crushed. I could tell and that was because of me. _Me_. I did that to her. I'm just as bad as Anna."

"No, you're _not_. You know you did wrong. You want to make it up to her. And you will. She'll forgive you. You're _nothing_ like Anna."

"I'm not so sure," Addison spoke quietly and shook her head. "I did exactly what Anna did to her. I'm supposed to be different."

"You are different, Addi." Pete looked at her. "You care about her and how she feels. You love her."

"Is that enough, really?" Addison moved her head and looked at her fiancée.

"You're different in so many ways." He looked back at her. "And you'll always be enough. _More_ than enough." Addison shook her head and sat up, unsettled. "What are you doing?" Pete watched her.

"Nothing. I'm unsettled."

"Do you want me to ask _her_ if she wants to spend the night in our room?"

Addison nodded. "I doubt she'll want to spend it with me."

"Do you want her to though?"

"Yes, of course."

"I'll see what she says then."

Addison nodded and lay back down to stare at the ceiling.

Pete made his way from their bedroom and along the hallway to Abigail's room. The ten year old was curled up under the covers which were bunched around her head.

"Sweetie?" Pete asked quietly. "Are you awake?" Abigail peeked up over the covers at him but didn't say anything. He gave her a soft smile and walked closer. "Your mum is pretty upset about what happened today and she can't seem to settle down. And neither can you. So, I was wondering, if you wanted to spend the night in our bed with us?"

"Will she yell?" Abigail whispered.

Pete frowned slightly. "No, sweetie, of course not. She doesn't usually yell, she was just a little cranky today and she's really sorry. She'd be so happy if you'd come to sleep with us tonight."

Abigail hesitated before she gave a small nod and got out of bed. Pete smiled softly and placed a kiss on the top of her head before he put his hand on her back and they made their way to the bedroom. Abigail hugged her teddy closely as she walked into the bedroom and looked at Addison. Addison turned her head and gave Abigail a soft smile.

"Look who I brought with me." Pete smiled and made his way back to his side of the bed.

"Hey," Addison spoke softly. "Come and get in." Abigail looked at them before she carefully crawled onto the bed between them. "Do you want a cuddle?" Addison asked. Abigail gave a small shrug and looked down at her teddy bear. Addison glanced at Pete before back at Abigail.

"Come here." Pete held an arm out for Abigail. She instantly snuggled into his arms and buried her head into his side. Pete looked at Addison and held a hand out for her as well so she could snuggle against Abigail's back. Addison did just that and breathed in the girl's scent. Pete could feel Abigail tense slightly, but she instantly relaxed again and loosened the grip on him and her teddy.

"Night," Addison whispered.

"Night," Pete whispered back softly. "I love you both."

"And I love you both," Addison spoke softly. Pete smiled softly and wrapped his arm around both of them before he closed his eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Okay, I'm not going to be around this weekend to update so I thought I'd give you an update now. I hope when I get back home on Monday that my inbox is full of reviews *hint hint* :P Enjoy.

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><p>The next day, Abigail made her way out of school and walked over to the parked cars where Addison was. Addison smiled softly and gave the girl a wave as she walked closer.<p>

"Hi," Abigail spoke quietly as she reached her and looked down at her shoes.

"Did you have a good day?" Addison asked as they both got into the car.

"It was okay." Abigail gave a nod.

"Good." Addison smiled. "I bought a few things on my way home so we can have a girly afternoon before your dad gets home." She started the car and pulled out onto the road. Abigail looked out of the window and didn't say anything. Addison glanced at the ten year old out of the corner of her eye and continued to talk. "I bought some ice cream as well for desert."

"Okay," she spoke quietly.

"Your dad said he'll pick some dinner up on the way home."

"Cool."

A silence fell over the two of them until they reached their house and Addison pulled up on the driveway. Once inside and settled, Addison began to take the things out of the bag.

"I have homework to do and a test to study for," Abigail looked down at her bag as she stood in the living room.

"I can help you." Addison looked up at Abigail. "We could do manicures and pedicures and then look at your homework and then study?"

"I'd rather do it now."

"I could help you now and then we can do the manicures after?"

"It's okay. I'll ask dad later if I need help."

"Oh…okay." Addison nodded. Abigail gave a small nod and picked her bag up before she turned to walk up the stairs. "I bought the nail varnishes and headbands for you. You might as well take them upstairs if you don't want to do it later." There was a hint of sadness in Addison's voice.

"Oh...sure." Abigail turned around again.

"I don't want them going to waste."

The ten year old gave a small nod and picked the nail varnishes up.

"If you need any help I'm here," Addison offered, but she already knew that Abigail wouldn't ask her. Abigail nodded again and turned to make her way upstairs. Addison gave a quiet sigh and leaned back. She had no idea how to get through to Abigail again. She hesitated before she dialled Pete's number. She heard the dialling tone a couple of times before Pete's voice appeared.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey," Addison spoke quietly.

_"Hey, baby, is something wrong?"_ He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was upset.

"I just…I needed to hear your voice. I needed the reassurance."

_"Is it Abi?"_ Pete spoke softly.

"Yeah," she sighed and leaned back on the couch.

_"I thought you were having a girly day without me in the house."_

"So did I. She doesn't want to. She's gone to do her homework and study for a test."

_"Oh,"_ he sighed. _"I'm sorry, baby."_

"What do I do?"

_"Give her some time."_

"I feel like we're just going backwards." Addison blinked to keep her tears at bay.

_"It's a step backwards but Abi loves you and she'll forgive you."_

"Really? Will she?"

_"She will,"_ he assured her. _"You're her mum."_

"I just…what if she hates me from now on?"

_"She's just...a little scared right now. She's been through a lot and she's probably been yelled at a lot and she's sensitive when it comes to those kind__s of things."_

"She hasn't forgiven Anna, what makes you think she'll forgive me?" Addison hugged a cushion close and curled up on the couch.

_"She loves you and you love her and you're trying to make it up to her."_

"I don't know," she whispered and closed her eyes.

_"She'll be fine."_

"Yeah."

_"I wish I could come home to you."_

"Me too," she whispered again.

_"I'll cancel my patients if you want me to."_

"Your patients are priority."

_"My family is priority."_

"Your patients need you."

_"One word from you and I'll be home."_

"I can't ask you that." Addison shook her head and hugged the cushion tighter. "It's not fair."

_"I'll see what I can do, okay?"_

"I'll be okay. It's not like I'm dying."

Pete gave a small sigh._ "I love you."_

"I love you, so much," she whispered.

_"I might be able to at least get home early."_

"I'll be okay."

_"I know you will, but still."_

"I'll be okay, I promise. I won't break down until you get home." Addison gave a small smile.

_"I'll call you later," _he promised.

"Okay. Don't take too long to get home, okay?"

_"I won't."_

"Thank you."

_"No need to thank me." _He smiled softly. _"Bye, baby, love you."_

"Bye, I love you."

* * *

><p>Addison was still curled up on the couch when Pete got home that night. He held a bag of Chinese food in one hand and his bag in the other as he walked into the living room.<p>

"Hey." She lifted her head and gave a soft smile.

"Hey." Pete smiled back and put everything down on the coffee table before he leaned down to place a kiss on her lips. Addison wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. "Miss me?" he whispered softly into the kiss.

"Very." She breathed in his scent and felt her body relax.

"I missed you too." Pete sat down on the edge of the couch. Addison gave a small sigh and snuggled into him. He wrapped an arm around her stomach and looked down at her. "Abi still in her room?"

"She's been in there since we got home. I went in to see if she needed any help but she just brushed me off and told me she was fine."

Pete gave a small sigh and stroked a strand of hair from her face. "Have you tried talk to her about what happened again?"

"That's easier said than done."

"I know it's hard, but we'll just have to give her time."

"You don't have to do anything." Addison looked up at him, sadly. "You've done nothing wrong."

"She'll come around, Addi."

"I'm not so sure," she whispered and shook her head.

"I am though." Pete placed a hand on her cheek to make her look at him. "You did it the first time, you'll do it again."

"She loved it when we had a girly day before, now she didn't even want to think about it."

"She's scared."

"I'm doing my best."

"I know you are." He looked at her and softly caressed her cheek. "It's only been a day though."

Addison closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. "Will it always be like this?" she whispered.

"Will we always have to be careful with her?"

"Yeah. Will we not be able to have normal mother daughter arguments?"

"I don't know." Pete looked at her. "She's only been here for a couple of months and she's only ten. I think it'll get better, but I can't promise." Addison nodded and curled into him. He wrapped both his arms around her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You should go see her," Addison whispered.

"I will." Pete nodded. Addison nodded as well and slowly pulled back. Pete dropped another kiss on her head before he stood up from the couch to walk upstairs.

As he made his way into Abigail's room, she was curled up on her bed with a book.

"Hey, sweetie." He smiled softly as he walked inside.

"Hey, dad." She got up from the bed and hugged him.

Pete wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. "How was your day?"

"It was okay." She shrugged as she pulled back from the hug.

"Did you do all your school stuff or do you need help with anything?"

"I need some help," she admitted.

"That's no problem." Pete smiled softly. "Why did you not ask your mum though?" Abigail shrugged and looked down. "She's really sorry about yesterday, you know?" He watched her and stepped closer.

"Can you help me with my homework?" she asked. "It's biology."

"Of course I can." Pete nodded. "Want to do it now or have dinner first?"

"Can we have dinner first? I'm hungry." Abigail looked up at her father.

"Sure." He smiled softly. "Let's go downstairs, I got us Chinese." She nodded and followed him downstairs for dinner.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: So, I thought I'd be kind and give you another update today. It's been pointed out to me that maybe all these updates on the same day may be too much for you all. I've decided to split my stories so half gets updated on a Saturday and half on a Sunday or maybe there will be a day in between the updates.

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><p>It was already late the next night as Addison lay cuddled up under a blanket in her and Pete's bed to read and wait for him to get home. She was trying her hardest to stay awake. A yawn escaped her lips and she closed her book. Pete had a late night at the hospital and she had planned on waiting for him but she knew that she would fall asleep soon. Addison gave a sigh as she looked at the time before she settled herself down to sleep. It had been a long day and it didn't take long for her to doze off.<p>

Addison was awoken fifteen minutes later by a loud noise throughout the house. She sat up confused and looked around. She blinked a few times and it took her a couple of seconds to realize that it had started to rain heavily and the noise that woke her must have been thunder. A shiver ran through her body and she pulled the covers closer to her as she listened to the sound of the rain as it hit the window. She kept her eyes on the window and jumped slightly when lighting struck outside, followed by a loud thunder that rang through the house. She snuggle further down into the covers for a while before she got up and tiptoed out of her bedroom. It had been quite warm that day and she was sure Abigail had left her window open when she went to bed.

Quietly, Addison pushed open Abigail's bedroom door and made her way over to the open window to shut it. When she turned back towards Abigail's bed she could make out her small figure, curled up under the blanket and muffled sniffs coming from underneath

"Abi?" Addison spoke softly and walked towards the bed.

A sob left Abigail's lips and she pulled the blanket down to just underneath her eyes so she could look at Addison. "Mummy?" she whispered quietly.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay, I'm here." Addison knelt down in front of the bed instantly and reached a hand out to Abigail. Tears rolled down Abigail's cheek and she softly bit her lip as she looked at Addison. "What's wrong?" She reached out and brushed the tears from the ten year old's face.

"The...the storm," she spoke quietly between sniffs.

"Come on." Addison stood up and held a hand out. Abigail looked at her for a few seconds before she took hold of Addison's hand and slowly sat up in bed. Addison pulled the girl close as they made their way to the master bedroom. They walked towards the bed when lightning struck once more, illuminating the entire room for a second, making Abigail jump with fear.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe," Addison soothed. "Come on, we'll have a cuddle in bed." Abigail's breathing was quick and she gave a small nod before they got into bed. Addison wrapped her arms around Abigail and hugged her close as she kissed the top of her head. The ten year old buried her face into Addison's chest and breathed in her soothing scent.

"I'm here," Addison whispered. "I'm always here."

"I'm scared," Abigail murmured quietly.

"Why don't we sing a song?"

"A...a song?" she whispered.

"Yes." Addison nodded. "Anything you want."

"I don't know." Abigail snuggled closer.

"What's your favourite song?"

"K-katy Perry?"

"Sure." Addison smiled softly. "What song?"

"Firework?" Abigail asked quietly.

"I like that song." Addison kissed Abigail's forehead again before they began to sing. Abigail kept a tight hold of Addison's pyjama top but her body slowly began to relax as they sang quietly.

"Are you still scared?" Addison asked once they had stopped singing.

"It's better now," she whispered softly.

"Good. It can't get you. You're safe."

Abigail gave a small nod and rested her cheek on Addison's chest again. "Do...do you mind me staying? I can go back to my room if I...if I bother you."

"Of course I don't mind."

Abigail slowly turned her head to look at Addison. "Really?"

"Really." Addison smiled softly and brushed some hair from the girl's face.

"If I bother you, you can tell me," Abigail whispered. "You don't have to yell."

"You don't bother me, I promise you. I'd just had a bad day. I didn't mean to yell at you, Abi, I promise."

Abigail looked up into Addison's eyes before she gave a small nod.

"I really am sorry, Abi." Addison looked back at the ten year old.

"Okay," she spoke quietly.

"I love you. You're my little girl."

Abigail nodded again and looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry I said no to our girly day," she whispered quietly.

"It's okay. You have the choice to say no if you want to. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Can we do it tomorrow?" She looked up at her hopefully.

"Of course we can." Addison smiled and kissed Abigail's forehead. Abigail smiled and snuggled closer to Addison. "Try and get some sleep now," Addison whispered.

"Okay." The ten year old gave a nod. "Is dad going to be home soon?"

"I don't know, baby. Do you want him to come home now?"

"Yeah." She nodded again.

"Oh." Addison nodded as well. "It depends on how many patients he has."

"Is he going to be okay driving in the storm?"

"He's a safe driver. If he doesn't think he'll make it, he'll stay at the hospital."

"Okay." Abigail nodded.

"He'll call if he can't make it."

"As long as you're here." She rested her cheek back on her chest.

"I'll always be here," Addison whispered and hugged Abigail closer. Abigail smiled softly and wrapped an arm around Addison as she closed her eyes. Gently, Addison ran her hand over the ten year old's back and closed her eyes. Abigail felt safe in Addison's arms and it didn't take long for her body to relax.

"Sweet dreams," Addison whispered.

"You too," Abigail whispered back, already dozing off. "Love you, mum."

Addison's lips curved into a huge grin. "I love you too, baby." The two of them stayed cuddled close and soon fell asleep, ignoring the storm outside.

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><p>When Addison slowly woke up the next morning she felt a hand on her back that was too big to belong to Abigail. She blinked a few times and lifted her head lightly until she realized that it was Pete who was lying behind her.<p>

"Hey," she spoke quietly and smiled.

"Hey." He placed a lazy kiss on the back of her neck.

"What time did you get home?"

"Not until after three," he spoke quietly. "There were some car accidents caused by the storm and I had to stay in the ER." Addison nodded and gave a yawn. "You two were okay, right?" Pete placed his hand on her hip from behind.

"We were fine." Addison nodded and shifted so she could see him better.

"Good." He gave a tired smile.

"You look tired," she commented. "You should sleep."

"I'm fine."

"Go to sleep, Pete."

"I'll sleep later. I don't have many patients today."

"Sleep now. You still have time."

Pete rolled his eyes at her and smiled softly. "Bossy, are we?"

"It's why you love me." She smiled.

"One of the many reasons." He leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Addison closed her eyes as she enjoyed the tender kiss between them. "I was hoping for some us time this morning," Pete whispered quietly and slid his hand to her stomach.

"Sorry, Abi didn't like the thunder," Addison whispered back.

"You don't like it either."

"I know." She nodded.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here." He looked down at her.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault."

"I'm glad you had each other."

"She told me she loves me." Addison smiled, widely.

"She did?" Pete looked surprised before a smile spread across his lips.

"She did. She asked if we could have our girly day today as well."

"So she forgave you?" He smiled softly.

"She gave forgave me." Addison smiled as well.

"I knew she would. She loves you."

Addison continued to smile and nuzzled her head into his shoulder.

"She hasn't told me she loves me yet," Pete mumbled.

"I'm sure she will soon," Addison reassured him. Pete nodded and gave her a smile. "Don't worry. She does love you."

"Yeah." He smiled softly. "It's okay, she'll say it at some point."

"She will," Addison agreed. Pete gave her a smile and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Now go to sleep," she spoke softly.

"Hmm, alright." He sighed. Addison smiled and lovingly kissed him. "Will you take a shower with me later?" Pete whispered quietly.

"Of course I will."

"Hmm, I'm looking forward to it." He smiled tiredly

"Me too," Addison whispered as they snuggled down to go to sleep.

* * *

><p>Later that day, Addison and Abigail sat on the couch together. Abigail's hands were placed on Addison's thighs as she carefully gave the girl a French manicure.<p>

"Looks pretty." Abigail smiled as she looked down at her hands.

"You've got very nice nails. I'll teach you how to file them into shape."

Abigail nodded and watched Addison paint her nails.

"Would you like me to do your hair after?" Addison asked as she carefully painted the tip of Abigail's nails white.

"If you don't mind." Abigail smiled sweetly

"What would you like me to do?" Addison smiled.

"Curl it?"

"Sure." She nodded. "All of it or only a few strands?"

"I don't know." Abigail shrugged. "What do you think?"

"Just a few strands." Addison smiled. "It'll look nicer."

"Okay." Abigail smiled as well.

"There, all done." Addison sat up straighter and put the brush back into the nail varnish. "Don't smudge them."

"I'll try not to."

"Good." She smiled and got up to get her straighteners. Abigail sat still on the couch and waited for Addison to return. "Here we are. Let's do your hair." Addison smiled and sat back down. Abigail smiled back and turned so Addison could curl her hair. Addison ran her fingers through Abigail's hair a few times before she began to straighten it.

"I wish I had your hair," Abigail stated as she looked down at her nails

"There's nothing wrong with your brown hair."

"I'd rather have yours though."

"Mine is quite in your face." Addison sighed and ran the straighteners over Abigail's hair.

"It's beautiful though, mine's just plain."

"Yours is beautiful too."

"I just wish we'd look more alike." Abigail gave a small shrug.

"You do?" Addison was slightly shocked. "Why?"

"Mums and daughters usually do." She shrugged again.

"They don't always. You look like your dad."

Abigail nodded and glanced down at her lap.

"Anyway, people see what they want to see."

"I just...I..." The ten year old sighed and trailed off.

"You what?" Addison asked softly and watched Abigail.

"Nothing," she spoke quietly and shook her head. "It's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not stupid. You know you can tell me anything, Abi."

"I just..." Abigail sighed again. "I just don't want to look like her."

"Like your mum?" Addison asked, quietly.

Abigail looked down at her hands. "You're my mum."

"You're beautiful, Abi. It doesn't matter if you look like her, you also look like your dad."

"She used to tell me I'm ugly." The girl kept her head down.

"What?" Addison looked at Abigail in surprise. "She used to tell you that?"

The ten year old gave a small nod. "And worthless and she said no one would ever love me," she spoke quietly and didn't look up.

"Oh, Abi." Addison wrapped her arms around the girl. "None of that is true."

Abigail rested her head on her chest and briefly closed her eyes. "It's just...the things you tell me every day, no one's ever told me them before."

"She never deserved you. If your dad had known about you, you would have been with him your whole life."

"Why did he never come and get me?" Abigail's eyes filled with tears.

"Because he never knew. He had no idea. Anna had never told him." Addison hugged the girl closer and kissed her forehead. A singled tear rolled down her cheek and she moved closer to Addison. "I swear, Abi, if your dad had known your life would have been different."

"I just wanted someone to come and get me," she gave a small sniff. "But I never knew I had anyone."

"Your dad would never have just left you if he knew. He would have been there right away."

"I wish he'd known," she whispered.

"Me too." Addison nodded.

"What if A-," she hesitated. "What if she hadn't...what if you had never known about me?"

"I don't know," Addison spoke, quietly. "I really don't know."

"Why did she do those things to me?" Abigail whispered barely audible and kept her head on Addison's chest.

"I don't know. She shouldn't have."

The ten year old didn't say anything, just stayed close to Addison.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore because things are different here. You'll never have to go back."

Abigail gave a small nod and wiped at her eyes.

"We love you, Abi."

"I'm so glad I have you and dad." She wrapped her arms around Addison.

"And we're so glad we have you." Addison placed another kiss on Abigail's forehead.

"I love you both so much," Abigail whispered.

"And we love you. You're part of this family now."

Abigail gave a small nod and snuggled closer.

"You've always got a home with us," Addison whispered and hugged her closer.

"Did I ruin our girly day now?" She gave a sniff.

"No, you haven't." Addison shook her head.

"I hope my nails aren't smudged." Abigail smiled slightly.

"They better not be, missy." Addison smiled and tickled the girl's side. Abigail grinned and wriggled in Addison's arms. "Let me see those nails and make sure you haven't smudged them." She bit her lip and held her hands up for Addison to see. Addison raised an eyebrow and took hold of Abigail's hands.

"We'll just do them again," Abigail giggled.

"We? You've just got to sit there and let me do all the work!" Addison smiled.

"They're prettier when you do them." She shrugged and smiled at Addison.

"Hmm, if you say so. Come on, let's do your hair first."

"I can do your nails," Abigail suggested as she sat back up properly. "But you won't be happy with the result."

"Oh, I wish I could have my nails painted for work." Addison sighed.

"Why can't you?"

"You're not allowed it if you're in surgery."

"Aren't you wearing gloves?"

"I'm not allowed to wear jewellery either."

"Well, you wouldn't want to leave a necklace in another person's body." Abigail giggled.

"Shush you."

"It's true."

Addison raised an eyebrow and smiled as she straightened Abigail's hair.


	19. Chapter 19

A week later Pete was stood in the kitchen in the morning, sipping on his coffee while going through the paper. Abigail padded down the stairs and into the kitchen. She smiled at Pete as she got herself some breakfast.

"Is your mum awake yet?" Pete watched his daughter as he took another sip.

"No." Abigail shook her head.

"Hmm." He checked his watch. "That's weird she should be up by now. I'll go check on her a minute." He placed a kiss on the top of Abigail's head before he walked out of the kitchen.

Addison was still curled up in the middle of their bed as Pete walked in.

"Addi?" He slowly walked closer.

"Hmm," she murmured.

"Did you not hear your alarm, baby?" Pete sat down on the bed.

"I turned it off."

"Don't you have to be in today?"

"I'm not going."

Pete frowned and reached out to touch her forehead. "Are you not feeling well?"

"I think I'm going to be sick." Addison suddenly sat up before she ran to the bathroom. Pete frowned even more and got up from the bed to follow her. She knelt in front of the toilet as she emptied her stomach. He walked closer and carefully took hold of her hair so it wouldn't be in the way. Addison sat back on her heels and leaned into his chest.

"Hey." He softly rubbed her arm. "You okay?"

"I feel dreadful."

"Hopefully it's just the flu." Pete placed a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. "You definitely have a fever."

"My head feels like it's in a vice," she groaned.

"Go back to bed, I'll make soup and tea and get you something from the pharmacy."

Addison groaned before she threw up again. Pete kept hold of her hair and rubbed soft circles on her back. "I have to take Abi to school," she murmured.

"Don't be stupid, I'll take her.

"You've got work."

"I'm not going in."

"Why?" she murmured and looked up at him.

"Because I don't want to leave you alone like this."

"I'll be okay. I'll sleep," she protested weakly.

"I'm staying with you." He looked down at her. "Come on, let's get you back to bed." Addison let Pete help her up and back to bed.

"Try to get some more sleep okay?" he asked as he sat next to her. "I'll take Abi to school and go to the pharmacy and then I'll be back." Addison nodded and curled up again. Pete placed a kiss on her forehead before he got up. She soon slipped back to sleep as Pete made his way down to Abigail.

"Your mum isn't feeling well." He looked at Abigail as he walked in. "I'll take you to school today, okay?"

"Oh, okay." She nodded.

"Are you ready to go or do you want to say bye first?"

"Can I say bye first?"

"Of course." Pete smiled softly. Abigail got up from the table and made her way to the master bedroom to say goodbye to Addison. She slowed down as she walked into the room and towards the bed. Addison was still curled up in the middle of the bed as Abigail walked closer.

"Mum?" she whispered quietly, not wanting to wake her. Addison gave a small murmur and stirred slightly. "Shhh, sleep," Abigail spoke softly.

"Abi?" Addison blinked, groggily.

"Sorry." She bit her lip. "I just wanted to say bye before I leave."

Addison attempted a smile. "It's okay, have a good day."

"Feel better soon." Abigail spoke softly and leaned closer to kiss her cheek.

"Don't catch it."

"Oh, sorry." She pulled back. "Bye."

"I don't want you getting ill too."

"I know." She nodded. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'll sleep."

"Okay." Abigail nodded again. "I'll see you tonight."

"Have a good day."

"Bye, love you," she spoke quietly before she turned and left the room again.

"Love you too," Addison whispered as she drifted back to sleep. Abigail made her way downstairs where Pete was already waiting to take her to school.

"I'm ready." She picked up her school bag.

"Okay." He gave a smile. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Pete made his way back into the house after he had dropped Abigail off at school, stopped at the pharmacy and had gotten some food. He put the food into the kitchen and made some tea before he got the bag from the pharmacy and made his way upstairs. He found Addison in exactly the same position as he had left her in. He sat down on the bed carefully before he reached out to check her temperature.<p>

"Hmm," she murmured.

"I brought you some tea and medication," Pete spoke softly. Addison blinked a few times and looked up at him. "Drink some herbal tea." He put the cup on the nightstand.

"I don't want tea." She weakly pushed it away from her

"It's good for you."

Addison shook her head and closed her eyes again.

"Take the meds?"

She murmured and shook her head. Pete sighed and watched her. Addison gave a big sigh and let her body relax.

"Well I'll leave everything on your nightstand if you change your mind." He got up again.

"Are you going?" she whispered.

"I'm going to make some chicken soup."

"Will you come back up?" Addison opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I'll come and check on you."

"Will you stay with me?" she asked quietly.

"I told you I'm not going in today."

"I meant up here."

"Oh." Pete nodded softly. "If you want me to."

"I do," she whispered.

"Okay." Pete sat back down on his side. Addison snuggled up to his side and rested her head on his chest. He laid an arm around her and looked down at her. Her body felt warm against his. He dropped a light kiss on her hair as they lay on silence.

* * *

><p>When Pete and Abigail entered the house that afternoon after Abigail had finished school, Addison was still lying in bed.<p>

"Is mum still asleep?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, she's been in bed all day." Pete nodded.

"Okay." She nodded as well and placed her bag on the side.

"Means we get to choose dinner. Anything you fancy?" Pete walked into the living room.

"Erm, something with chicken?"

"Rice maybe?"

Abigail screwed up her nose. "No."

"We've got chicken soup."

"No." She shook her head.

"You're like your mum." Pete rolled his eyes. She hesitated, not sure who he meant. "I've been trying to get her to eat all day but she doesn't want anything I have to offer," he continued.

"Oh." She nodded, relieved that he meant Addison.

Pete smiled softly. "Chicken Chow Mien? I think we've got everything we need for that."

"Okay." Abigail nodded.

"Are you alright?" Pete watched her. "You look like something's bothering you."

"I'm fine." She nodded and smiled.

"Okay, good." He smiled back. "If you want to say hi to your mum I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"I don't want to wake her."

"She won't mind, but it's your choice. We can take her some soup up later."

"Can I help you cook?" Abigail asked.

"Of course you can."

She grinned and made her way further into the kitchen. Pete looked through the cupboards and got all the ingredients before he put them on the counter.

"Can you bake cakes?" Abigail asked.

"Depends on the cake." Pete shrugged. "We've got a book somewhere. Why?"

"I've never made a cake before."

"Really?" Pete looked at her. "It's still a while until dinner time. Do you want to bake a cake first?"

"Yes, please." Abigail's eyes lit up.

"Okay." Pete smiled softly and began to search the cupboards for the book before he found it and handed it to her. "Choose one." She looked through the book and thought carefully before she chose one. "We'll start with the sponge and then make the cream, okay?" Pete looked at her before they started.

"Okay." She nodded. "What do we do?"

"First we take two eggs and we separate the yolk from the egg white," he began to instruct her.

"How do I do that?"

"I'll do one to show you and you do the other, okay?" Pete took the egg and showed her how to do it before handing her the second egg. She cracked the shell and attempted to separate the yolk from the white. "That wasn't too bad." Pete smiled.

"Now what?"

"Now we take the mixer." Pete plugged it in and put it into the bowl before he turned it on. "Want to?"

"Yes, please." She grinned. Pete smiled at the look on her face and let her take the mixer. Abigail laughed loudly as she began to mix it.

He chuckled softly and opened the flour before he dipped his finger in and put some on Abigail's nose. "Now you look like a real baker." She laughed even louder and threw a bit towards him. "Hey." Pete smirked. Abigail laughed happily as they baked the cake together.

It only took them half an hour before it was finished and ready to be put in the oven.

"Can we decorate it after?"

"Sure." Pete nodded. Abigail smiled happily and washed her hands. "It'll have to bake for forty-five minutes, then we have to cool it down but after we can decorate it however you want." He smiled back.

"Okay." She nodded.

"Your mum will be happy once her appetite is back." He smiled softly.

"Really?"

"She loves cakes."

"I hope this one will taste okay."

"I'm sure it will." He nudged her side playfully. Abigail smiled and helped him make dinner. They cooked and ate the chicken together before they settled in front of the TV to wait for their cake to cool down. She curled up to his side and rested her head on his chest.

Pete dropped a kiss on her hair and laid an arm around her. "We should probably check on your mum soon."

"Okay," she whispered and nodded.

"Maybe you can get her to drink her tea and eat her soup." He smiled softly.

"I'll try."

"Good. Shall we go now?" He looked back at her. She gave a nod and they quietly made their way up the stairs. Pete pushed the door open gently before they waked inside, finding Addison curled up on his side with her eyes closed. She began to stir slightly at the noise and blinked up at them.

"Hey, sleepy head." Pete smiled softly as they walked closer. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm, a little better," she murmured. Abigail cautiously walked closer before she sat down on the edge of the bed. "How was your day?" Addison asked and slowly sat up.

"Good." She nodded. "I got a B on my science test."

"That's great, Abi." Addison smiled.

"It's pretty good." Abigail gave a small nod.

"I knew you could catch up. I think you need a present for that B."

"A present?" She looked at her.

"Yes." Addison smiled.

"You don't have to get me a present." She smiled softly.

"It's your first B, we do."

Abigail smiled and glanced up at Pete. Addison smiled softly and looked at Pete as well.

"Have you drunk your tea yet, mum?" Abigail looked at the cup on her nightstand.

"No." Addison shook her head.

"You should." The ten year old looked at her.

"I'm not thirsty." Addison shook her head and leaned back against the headboard.

"Dad said it'll make you feel better."

"I'll have some later," Addison assured her daughter.

Abigail gave a small sigh and looked up at her father. Addison gave a cough before she closed her eyes.

"How about some chicken soup?" Pete watched her. "You have to eat something."

"Just some toast."

"Have you taken your meds?"

Addison nodded and looked at him.

"Maybe we should let you sleep again," Abigail spoke quietly and got up from the bed.

"You don't have to go." Addison smiled softly. "I like the company."

"I'll go get you some toast." Pete gave a smile before he turned to leave the room.

"Thank you."

Abigail watched him leave and hesitated before she sat down on the bed again. "Dad and I baked a cake."

"You did?" Addison smiled. "He'll have you baking and coking in no time."

"I hope it'll taste okay."

"I'm sure it will if you've inherited your dad's abilities."

"I hope so." She smiled softly.

"How are you going to decorate it?"

"I don't know." Abigail shrugged. Addison smiled softly and reached out to tuck some hair behind the girl's ear. "How long will you be ill for?" The girl looked at her.

"I don't know, baby."

"I hope you'll feel better soon."

"Me too."

"Do you need anything?" Abigail looked at her.

"Maybe a cuddle?"

"Sure." The ten year old smiled softly. Addison smiled as well and wrapped her arms around Abigail who snuggled close to her and rested her head on her chest.

"I love you," Addison whispered.

"I love you too, mum." She smiled softly. "Is a cuddle going to make you feel better?" Abigail asked as she wrapped an arm around Addison's stomach.

"A little."

"Okay." She gave a nod. Addison smiled and closed her eyes. The ten year old stayed snuggled close to her and closed her eyes as well.

"You could have your friends around again if you want," Addison whispered.

"Maybe." Abigail nodded.

"You should."

"Lisa wants me to spend the night at her place at some point."

"You can if you want to." Addison nodded.

"I'm not sure."

"Don't you want to go?"

"I don't know." She gave a shrug.

"You can."

"I've never been away from you guys for a whole night."

"We're only a phone call away if you want to come home." Addison looked down at Abigail.

"You'd come and get me?" Abigail looked back at her.

"Yes." Addison nodded. "Straight away." Abigail gave a smile and rested her head back on her chest.

* * *

><p>AN: Always some cuteness comes out of someone being ill :) There's not many chapters left to go now.


	20. Chapter 20

It was late on a Sunday morning when Abigail was woken up by the sound of her door opening and closing and her bed moving as someone sat down on it.

"Wake up, birthday girl." Addison spoke softly as she shook Abigail awake.

"Hmm," Abigail murmured and blinked a few times before she looked up at Addison tiredly.

"Happy birthday!"

"Hmm, thank you." She smiled softly.

"Come on, your dad has made you a birthday breakfast."

"Really?"

"Yes." Addison smiled. Abigail smiled tiredly and slowly sat up.

They made their way into the kitchen where there were banners and balloons. Abigail's eyes widened at the sight and she looked at Addison and Pete.

"Happy birthday." Addison kissed her on the cheek.

"You didn't have to do all this." She looked around.

"Oh, we did." Addison smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Sweetie." Pete smiled and wrapped his arms around Abigail before he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Thanks, dad." She smiled.

"I made breakfast." He smiled as he pulled back and motioned to the table.

"Wow, that's a lot of food."

"Of course it is it's your birthday breakfast."

Abigail smiled as she sat down at the table and began to eat. "I'm not going to be able to eat anything else today," she murmured as she took a bite of her pancake.

Addison laughed softly. "That's your dad for you."

"What?" Pete looked at them. "Birthday breakfasts are supposed to look like this."

"I know." Addison smiled softly.

"I've never had a birthday breakfast before." Abigail looked down at her plate as she continued to eat.

"You're going to be getting one every year now." Addison smiled and kissed the side of her head.

"I'm going to get really big." She smirked as she took another bite.

"Don't worry we'll make sure you exercise." Addison laughed softly. Pete smiled softly and took a sip of his coffee. "Morning, babe." She leaned up and tenderly kissed him.

"Morning yourself." He kissed her back softly.

"Where did you put her present?" she mouthed. Pete looked at her and motioned upstairs. Addison nodded and smiled happily. He smiled and stole another kiss from her. She giggled softly before she turned to watch Abigail.

"What are we doing today?" The ten year old looked at them.

"That's a surprise." Addison grinned.

"A surprise?" Her eyes widened slightly.

"Yes, a surprise."

"Do I get a hint?"

"Nope." Addison and Pete smirked.

Abigail smiled and put the last bit of the pancake into her mouth. "I want to know," she mumbled.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, and you'll have to wait."

* * *

><p>Later that day, Addison and Pete stood in the kitchen as they listened to the girls get themselves ready in the living room. They were chatting and giggling loudly and Pete and Addison smiled softly at the sound. Addison wrapped her arms around Pete's waist from behind and rested her cheek against his shoulder.<p>

"Do you think she's having a good day?" He placed his hands on top of hers.

"It sounds like she is. I can't believe how much of her shell she's come out of since she's been here."

"I know." He smiled softly.

"She's got a happy glow about her."

"She really does," Pete agreed. "It's amazing."

"I just wish we could have given her that glow earlier."

"You mean before she came to us?"

"Yes." Addison nodded.

"I wish that, too." Pete sighed and turned around so he could wrap his arms around her. She buried her face into his chest and closed her eyes. "We have her now and we'll make sure she keeps that glow, okay?" He spoke softly and kissed the top of her head.

"We will," Addison whispered. Pete smiled and hugged her close as he breathed in her scent. "She'll be a teenager soon."

"That's going to be fun."

"I know." Addison smiled.

"We still got two more years until then."

"We might have a baby by then," she whispered.

"Mhm." Pete smiled and nodded softly as he looked down at her. "Hopefully."

"Do you think she'll like to be a big sister?"

"I'm sure she will eventually."

Addison smiled softly and glanced into the living room at the group of girls. Pete kept his eyes on Addison and leaned down to softly kiss her cheek.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too, so much," he spoke softly. "You have no idea." Addison smiled and listened to his heartbeat. "Hmm, did I tell you that the guys are already planning my bachelor party?" Pete asked as he slid his hands up and down her back slowly.

"No." She shook her head and looked up at him. "They're not going to tie you to a lamppost naked, are they?"

"I hope not," he chuckled softly.

"Me too. I need you there for the wedding."

"I'll be there, don't worry." Pete smiled. "They did say something about getting me a stripper though," he teased.

"What?" Addison's head snapped up.

"They said it's not a proper bachelor party without one." He looked down at her.

"A stripper? A _naked_ woman who will dance all _over you_?"

"They're not all naked, most of the time."

"No." Addison shook her head.

"What?" Pete smiled at her. "Are you scared I'm going to run of with a stripper?"

"No." She pulled back.

"What no?" He watched her.

"I'm not scared you'll run off with her, I just don't like the idea."

"I'm not getting one, okay?" Pete looked at her. "I was just teasing you."

"Good." She nodded. Pete smiled amused and reached out to wrap his arms back around her. "You're mine," Addison murmured and snuggled into him.

"I am." He nodded and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"All mine."

"You're the only one who gets to strip for me, I promise."

"Good." Addison nodded. "That's how it's always going to be."

Pete smiled softly and looked down at her. "It is." He nodded. "You're the only one I want, you know that."

"I do know that. You're the only one I want."

He smiled as he looked into her eyes before he leaned down to softly kiss her. Addison closed her eyes and lovingly kissed him back. Pete's arms tightened around her and he slowly deepened the kiss.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

"Do you think Abi is really happy with us?"

"Of course, don't you?" Pete looked down at her.

"Yes." She nodded. "Do you think she misses anything, though? Like her old friends?"

"I don't know." He shook his head. "She might. But I don't think she had that many. We can talk to her later." Pete dropped a kiss on Addison's hair.

"We can," she agreed. Pete smiled softly and looked at Abigail and her friends. "She's so settled now."

"I know." He smiled softly. "I'm so happy she is."

"Me to."

"I just, I wish I knew what happened, with Anna and her."

Addison nodded and looked up at Pete. "We have her now, though."

"We do."

"Come on, I expect they're ready by now. We should go."

* * *

><p>That night after they had returned home and the girls had been picked up, Abigail carried her presents upstairs into her room before she skipped all the way down again where Pete and Addison were.<p>

"Have you enjoyed today?" Addison asked as Abigail squeezed in between them.

"It was the best birthday _ever."_ She grinned.

"I'm glad." Addison kissed the girl's forehead.

"Thank you." Abigail smiled and wrapped her arms around both of them to hug them as tightly as she could.

"No problem." Addison smiled.

"We're glad you had a good time." Pete kissed the side of her head.

"I had a really good day." Abigail grinned.

"Good, we wanted it to be special."

"Can we do it again next year?"

"Do what?" Pete looked down at her.

"All this for my birthday."

"We can do whatever you want to do." He smiled softly.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up.

"Yes, it's your birthday."

"Thanks you." Abigail smiled and hugged both of them. They smiled softly and hugged her back.

"Did you like all your presents?" Addison asked.

"Yes, they're awesome." She grinned. "I never got this many presents before, ever."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Abigail gave a small nod. Addison wrapped her arms around the eleven year old and hugged her tightly. Abigail hugged her back and rested her head on her shoulder. "You guys are the best."

"We know." Addison grinned. Abigail smiled and held her arm out for Pete so he could hug them as well. "A family hug." Addison smiled. Abigail giggled and snuggled close to them. They all sat together, contently.

"Is there anything about your life right now that you would change if you could?" Pete looked down at their daughter.

"No." She shook her head.

"Good." Pete smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Can we watch a film?" Abigail asked.

"Sure, what film do you want?"

"Erm, a new one?"

"Didn't one of your friends give you one?"

"Yeah." Abigail smiled. "I'll go get it." Pete smiled softly and watched her leave the living room before he turned to look at Addison.

"She's happy," Addison commented.

"She is." He nodded.

"It's nice."

"We did a good job." Pete reached out and took hold of her hand.

"We did." She nodded. "Hopefully we'll always do a good job."

"We'll always try our best and we'll always do it together."

"We will." Addison nodded. Pete gave her a smile and lifted her hand to place a kiss on it. They snuggled down together as Abigail came back with her DVD and they began to watch.

* * *

><p>AN: There's only three more chapters left! This story has gone by so fast!


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I know, I know. I _suck_. I totally forgot, I'll be honest. Being back in college has pickled my brain. I _will_ update this Saturday and Sunday as usual, I promise.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, Addison stood on a stand in a wedding dress shop as the dressmaker pushed pins into the dress.<p>

Abigail was sat on a chair close to where Addison was stood and watched with a smile on her face. "You look so pretty, mum."

"Thank you, Abi." Addison smiled back at her.

"Pete is going to love it," Naomi agreed.

"You think?" Addison looked at her best friends. "It's not too fancy?"

"It's a wedding dress, Addi." She rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean, Nae."

"It's perfect, you said so yourself."

Addison smiled and looked at herself in the mirror.

"How much longer is it until the wedding?" Abigail looked at her.

"A month." Addison's eyes sparkled.

"That's not too long." She smiled.

"I know."

"Have you gotten your dress fitted yet, Abi?" Naomi looked at the girl.

"No." Abigail shook her head.

"We're going to wear the same one, aren't we, Addi?"

"Yes." Addison nodded.

"Are they pretty?" Abigail looked at them.

"Yes." She smiled. "It'll be fitted in a minute." Abigail nodded and looked around the shop. The dressmaker did a few more things to the dress before she stood back and looked at the dress. Abigail and Naomi stood back and watched Addison.

"What do you think?" Addison asked and did a twirl.

"It's really beautiful, mum." Abigail smiled and her eyes shone.

"You really think so."

"It's perfect." She nodded. Addison grinned and turned to the mirror again.

"It's really amazing Addi," Naomi agreed. "Everyone is going to love it."

"I hope so."

"You could wear a potato bag and Pete would tell you that you look gorgeous." Naomi smiled softly as she watched her best friend.

"True." Addison smiled.

"Is there anything you'd like me to change?" The older woman that fitted the dress looked at Addison.

"No, I think everything is perfect."

"Good." The woman smiled and turned to Abigail. "Then it's your turn now, young lady." Abigail stood up and followed the woman to the changing room.

"I hope she likes it," Addison commented.

"I'm sure she will." Naomi smiled softly.

Five minutes later Abigail and the dressmaker walked back into the room.

"You look beautiful, Abi," Addison whispered.

"You think?" The girl looked down at the dress. Addison nodded and smiled softly. Abigail climbed onto the stool and turned to look into the mirror.

"What do you think?" Addison asked.

"Wow." Abigail whispered. "I've never worn a dress like this before."

"Do you like it then?"

"It's beautiful." She smiled softly.

"It really is." Addison grinned.

"Do I look okay in it?" Abigail looked at herself unsure.

"You look amazing."

Abigail gave a smile and ran her hands over the dress. The dressmaker smiled and began to push pins into it. Abigail stood still on the stool and watched the woman through the mirror.

"I think it should be a little longer," Addison commented.

"Do you want this part tighter?" The dressmaker motioned to Abigail's middle.

"A little." Addison nodded. The older woman nodded and followed Addison's instructions. They made changes to the dress until Addison was satisfied with how it looked and Abigail looked at herself in the mirror.

"What do you think, Abi?" Addison asked.

"I like it."

"Good. Me too."

* * *

><p>Pete smiled softy as he switched off the light that night and got into bed next to his fiancée. Addison smiled and turned onto her side to face him.<p>

"Hey, beautiful." He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Have a good day?" she asked.

"A little busy, but good." Pete nodded. "You?"

"It was good." She smiled.

"How did the fitting go?"

"Really good." She nodded.

"Abi sounded like she likes her dress."

"She loves it."

"That's good." Pete smiled.

"It really is." Addison nodded. Pete smiled softly and slipped his hand under the blanket and to Addison's side. "Hmm, you're warm." She smiled and snuggled closer.

"I'm glad." He slid his hand to her back and rubbed soft circles.

"I could stay cuddled up to you for ages."

"You can, all night long."

"Good." Addison smiled and snuggled closer. Pete smiled softly and leaned down to place a kiss on her neck. "I feel so tired," she murmured and closed her eyes.

"Hmm, too bad."

"Why?"

"Because I missed you today."

"I missed you too." Addison smiled softly. "Can you believe in a month I'll be Mrs. Wilder?"

"Hmm, no." Pete smiled.

"I'm excited."

"Me too. So much." He placed another kiss on her neck. "You'll be all mine."

"I'm already yours." She turned her head and looked up at him.

"Hmm, are you?" He looked back at her. "I'm so lucky."

"Me too. I'll have an amazing husband and an amazing daughter."

"Hmm, are you?" He looked back at her. "I'm so lucky."

"I am." Addison nodded.

"I'll get to call you my wife then." Pete smiled softly.

"And you'll be my husband."

"I can't wait," he whispered before he leaned down to softly press his lips to hers. Addison closed her eyes and lovingly kissed him back. "Hmm," Pete murmured and slowly ran his hand down her back.

"We have forever together," she whispered.

"I wouldn't want to have forever with anybody else."

"Me either. It wouldn't be the same."

Pete smiled softly and looked down into her eyes.

"I love you so much," Addison whispered.

"And I love you so, so much."

"This is what I've been waiting for."

"The wedding?"

"You, Abi, being a family."

Pete smiled softly and brushed some hair from her face. "It's amazing, isn't it?" he whispered.

"It really is," she agreed and kissed him again. Pete kissed her back tenderly and brushed his hand up and down her side. Addison smiled happily and looked into his eyes.

"Shall we start trying for a baby after the wedding?" He looked back at her.

"I think that would be a good time." Addison smiled softly. "We'll talk to Abi and make sure she's okay with it." Pete smiled and placed another quick kiss on her lips. "Have you got your tux sorted?" she asked as she snuggled up to him again.

"Yes." He smiled and rolled his eyes at her. "Stop worrying about me and my tux."

"I know you, Pete. I know you'd rather come in jeans and a shirt." She glanced up at him.

"But I won't."

"Good." She nodded.

"I know how much this means to you and it will be perfect, don't worry." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"It's our day, not just mine."

"It'll be perfect for me too, because you're going to be there and I'm going to marry you and that's all that matters."

Addison smiled softly and kissed his nose. Pete pulled her closer to him and breathed in her scent. "Night, Pete," she whispered.

"Night, baby," he whispered back and softly rubbed her back.

* * *

><p>As this is now coming to an end, it's mainly just going to be fluff and insignificant moments.<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: *ducks from the flying objects I'm sure you're throwing at me for not updating for a week* Life took over unfortuantly :/ I _will_ update next weekend, I promise!

Only one more chapter left after this one! :(

* * *

><p>A couple of days later Abigail was sat on her bed in her room, reading a book for school, when her door opened and both Addison and Pete walked inside.<p>

"Am I in trouble?" Abigail asked and closed her book as she watched them.

Pete smiled softly and glanced at Addison before he shook his head. "No, sweetie, why would you be in trouble?" The eleven year old shrugged and turned to face them. "We just wanted to talk to you about something." Pete sat down on the bed.

"Oh…okay." She nodded slightly.

"You know the wedding is in less than a month now." He looked at her before he turned to Addison who sat down as well.

"Is there something wrong with the wedding?" Abigail asked, quietly.

"No, no, there's nothing wrong with the wedding." Pete smiled softly.

"We just wanted to talk to you about after." Addison watched the girl.

"After...the wedding?" Abigail looked at them unsure.

"Your dad and I would like to start trying for a baby if you're okay with it."

"O-okay." The eleven year old nodded slightly.

"Would you like to be a big sister?" Addison asked.

"I...I guess." She looked up at them.

"Really? Because if you're not comfortable with it yet we'll wait."

"No..." Abigail shook her head softly. "You...you're going to be married. All married couples want to have children."

"But are you okay with it?" Addison asked again.

"Yeah." She gave a small nod and glanced down at her hands.

"You can tell us if you're not." Addison reached a hand out to Abigail.

"You want a child, I'm not going to stop you," Abigail spoke quietly and didn't look up.

"We'd like _another_ child." Addison looked at the eleven year old. Abigail looked up at Addison and didn't say anything. "You're our little girl and we want to make sure that you're comfortable with everything."

"You're going to have your own baby," she whispered quietly, and she could feel the beginning of tears starting to pool in her eyes.

"You're our baby too, Abi."

Abigail shook her head and looked down at her lap again.

"You are out baby." Addison moved so she was sat on the other side of Abigail.

"You won't feel that way when you have your own baby," she whispered. "You'll love them more than you love me."

"No, I won't, I promise you, Abi." Addison wrapped her arms around the girl. The eleven year old briefly closed her eyes and a single tear escaped and made its way down her cheek. "Nothing is going to change," Addison whispered. "You'll still be my little girl."

"I just wish I was yours." Abigail's voice was shaky as she rested her head on Addison's shoulder and more tears rolled down her cheek.

"Am I your mum, Abi?" Addison asked. The eleven year old nodded and gave a small sniff. "Then you are mine."

Abigail lifted her head and looked up at Addison as she wiped at her eyes. "You won't like them better than me?" She gave another sniff.

"No." Addison shook her head. "You'll all be my babies and I'll love you all equal." Abigail looked at her before she gave a small nod. "Nothing will change between us, I promise you."

"Okay," she whispered.

"You're going to be their big sister. They're going to look up to you."

"Do you think they'll like me?" Abigail looked at them as she wiped the remaining tears away.

"They're going to love you." Addison smiled.

"They are." Pete agreed and placed a kiss on Abigail's hair. "You'll be a great big sister, I'm sure of it."

"Really?" Abigail whispered.

"Really." Pete nodded. "They'll love you."

"What if they don't?"

"Why wouldn't they?" He looked down at her. Abigail shrugged and looked down. "Don't worry so much."

"They're going to love you." Addison hugged the girl close. "Just as much as we love you."

"I hope so."

"They will, don't worry."

Abigail gave a small nod.

"Do you want to be a big sister?" Addison asked, softly.

"I think so."

"Okay." She nodded.

"I'm sorry about making a scene." The eleven year old glanced down

"Sometimes a scene just makes everything better." Addison smiled softly. "And it wasn't a scene." Abigail gave a nod and played with her fingers. "If you're not comfortable yet we'll wait."

"No, it's fine." She shook her head.

"Really?" Addison asked.

"Yeah." Abigail nodded and looked up at them.

"Okay." Addison smiled softly and kissed her forehead.

"We've still got some time." Pete wrapped an arm around both of them.

"We do," Addison agreed. Abigail gave a small smile as she looked at them. "Let's go out for lunch," Addison suggested.

"Sounds good." Pete smiled.

"Abi?" She turned her head and looked at the eleven year old.

"Can we go to that café down the beach?" She looked up at them, hopefully.

"Of course." Addison smiled.

"Yay." Abigail smiled.

"Let's get ready and go."

* * *

><p>Addison smiled softly as she watched Pete get ready for bed in the mirror as she took her make-up off. She watched as he put on his pyjama pants for the night before he took off his shirt, showing off the muscles of his stomach. Addison put her make-up wipe in the bin before she brushed her hair. Pete lifted his head and looked at her from where he was stood in the bedroom, before a smile tugged on his lips.<p>

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, softly.

"You." He looked at her face through the mirror and walked closer.

"Me?" Addison smiled and turned to face him.

"Mhm." Pete nodded and walked closer until he could wrap his arms around her waist. She gently pressed her lips to his and wrapped her arms around his neck. He instantly kissed her back and pulled her closer to him.

"Hmm," she murmured.

"Think we should practice?" he whispered.

"We could start trying now," she whispered back and looked up at him.

"I like that idea."

"To start trying for a baby now?"

Pete nodded and looked down into her eyes.

"Okay." Addison smiled.

"Have you not taken your pill yet?"

"I took it this morning."

"Okay." Pete nodded softly.

"I can stop taking it."

"You should if we start trying." He smiled.

"I won't take it tomorrow." Addison smiled back. "We'll just let it happen."

Pete looked into her eyes and smiled before he pressed another soft kiss to her lips. "I can't wait."

"Nor me."

"I can't wait to marry you." He kissed her again. "And have another child with you."

"Nor me," she whispered. Pete smiled and softly cupped her face as he looked down at her. Addison grinned and pulled him towards the bed. He kept hold of her hands and followed her, smiling as he watched her face.

"It's kind of scary," she whispered.

"I know." Pete nodded. "But we'll be fine."

"You think Abi will really be okay?"

"She'll need our reassurance from time to time. But I'm sure she'll love being a big sister."

Addison nodded and looked at Pete.

"We'll make sure she never forgets how much we love her," he spoke softly.

"She can help us with the baby."

"I'm sure she'd love that."

Addison smiled softly and kissed him again. Pete kissed her back tenderly and slowly lowered her down on the bed. She pulled him closer before they sweetly made love.


	23. Chapter 23

Addison leaned closer to the mirror and took a deep breath as she put in her earrings that matched the necklace she was wearing. It was finally the day of the wedding and she was nervous. She couldn't believe that the day had finally come. She was going to get _married_. Addison leaned back and looked at her hair to make sure it was all in place. She wanted to look perfect for their big day.

"How do I look?" Addison asked.

"You look really great, mum." Abigail smiled at Addison through the mirror. Addison smiled and stood up so she could put her dress on.

"Let us help you." Naomi took hold of Addison's wedding dress and helped her put it on.

"Do you think daddy is ready yet?" Abigail looked at Addison.

"I hope so." Addison nodded.

"Maybe someone should make sure he's in his tux and not in jeans and a shirt." She smiled.

"Oh god," Addison groaned. "I will kill him if he's wearing _that_."

"I'm sure he isn't, Addi." Naomi smiled at her friend. "He wouldn't do that."

"It's Pete we're talking about," Addison reminded her friend as she slowly pulled the zip up on the dress.

"He wouldn't go to his own wedding in a pair of jeans."

"Hmm."

"I can go look if you want me to." Abigail looked at her unsure.

"No." Addison shook her head. "It'll be fine."

"Okay." Abigail nodded.

"Everything's ready, isn't it?" Addison asked Naomi.

"It is." Naomi nodded.

"Good, good." She nodded and turned back to the mirror again. Abigail watched Addison and ran her hand through her curls before she looked down at her own dress.

"How do I look?" Addison asked. "Do I look okay?"

"Mum, we've already told you that you look pretty."

"I know, I know. I just want everything to be perfect."

"It's perfect." Abigail smiled softly and stepped closer to look at Addison through the mirror. Addison smiled back and hugged Abigail close. "Don't worry." Abigail wrapped an arm around her waist carefully. "Dad will be waiting downstairs and everything will be perfect."

"I know."

Naomi smiled softly as she watched them. "Shall we?"

Addison took a deep breath before she nodded. Abigail smiled and took hold of Addison's hand as she led her to the door. Addison smiled as well as they made their way downstairs to the wedding. She could hear as the people stop talking as the music began to play as Abigail and Naomi walked in first. Addison watched as they reached the end of the aisle before she started to walk. Her eyes instantly fell on Pete and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her lips curved into a wide smile and her eyes sparkled at him. As soon as Pete looked at her all the nervousness that he had felt earlier went away and all he could see was her.

* * *

><p>Addison giggled that night as Pete carried her to their hotel room. He had a huge grin on his face as he pushed open the door and carried her over the door step.<p>

"Wow," she whispered as she looked around the room. "Look at the size of it."

"_Only_ the best room for our wedding night." He smiled softly.

"I'm finally Mrs. Wilder." She turned her head and looked at him.

"You are." Pete looked down at her and the love shone in his eyes. "You're my wife."

"_Forever_," she whispered and kissed him. Pete tightened his arms around her and held her as close as he could as he kissed her back passionately. "I can't believe we're finally married."

"Me either." He smiled against her lips. "You make me the happiest guy in the world, Addi."

"And you make me the happiest woman."

Pete smiled at her before he closed the gap between them and kissed her again.

"I love you so much," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he spoke softly. "More than I could ever say." Addison grinned and kissed him as he gently placed her on the bed. "By the way," Pete pulled back slowly so she could look at him, "have you noticed?"

"Noticed what?" she asked.

"The _amazing_ tux I'm wearing." He smirked and motioned down to his body.

"Oh." She grinned. "You look _so sexy_ in it."

"I know, right?" Pete grinned back at her.

"I bet you got it at the last minute, though, didn't you?" she teased.

"I got it in time." He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. Addison grinned and pulled him closed to her. "It's nothing compared to the way you look in this dress though," Pete murmured.

"Really?" she whispered. "How do I look?"

"Just...amazing," he spoke softly. "I could hardly take my eyes off of you all day."

"I couldn't take my eyes off of you either."

Pete smiled against her lips before he kissed her again. Addison closed her eyes and lost herself in him. They forgot everything around them and all that mattered was each other. They were finally married. They were a family. To them, everything was perfect.

* * *

><p>AN: There you go, the end of this story. It was so much fun to write! We hope you all enjoyed reading it. Please, leave us with your final thoughts?


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